Clang (22 page)

He wanted to be Jackson's, utterly and completely.

Christ, Chase was in love. The way Jackson watched him told him he wasn't the only one. Jackson's eyes were wide and fixed on Chase's expressions. His gaze was tender as he watched Chase's every reaction to milk every last drop of pleasure out of him...

“Oh, fuck, I can't-- I'm abou-- Jackson...” Chase panted, his eyes sliding closed for a moment as he arched against Jackson. Heat surged from deep within his belly and spilled out. His muscles seized and legs clenched hard around Jackson's firm body.

And he was coming, spilling into the blissful oblivion. He had just enough presence to feel Jackson's thrusts shudder and become hard and irregular. Jackson groaned hard.

Chase peeked at Jackson's pleasure-wracked face as Jackson drove into him. He clenched around Jackson, squeezing every last drop out of him as Jackson jerked his cock firmly and brought him through these seconds of bliss.

“Chase,” Jackson gasped, looking almost like he wanted to say something. He bit his tongue and groaned instead, the sound a deep, guttural moan of pleasure.

“Yeah, babe,” Chase moaned, twitching as the last few drops of pleasure trickled from his cock and Jackson let go of him. “Me, too.”

Jackson smothered him with kisses until Chase laughed, leaning up into every kiss. Jackson softened and slid out of him but they kept kissing. Sometimes their lips didn't meet each other's, but landed on cheeks or noses or chins. It made no difference.

Chase's whole body burned with pleasure, tingles of pleasure still running through his fingertips and toes. He shivered and rolled onto his side when Jackson pulled him in, finally burying his face in Jackson's shoulder.

“You're incredible,” Jackson whispered. They both breathed hard, and Chase desperately tried to catch his breath.

“You, too,” Chase murmured. “I've never... had anyone like you.”

“Yeah,” Jackson whispered. His voice was a little off. “I know the feeling.”

Chase pulled back to look Jackson in the eye. “Hm?”

Jackson swallowed, then cupped Chase's face. “You're... I know this is early, but I love you. You don't have to--”

“I love you,” Chase told him, loud and firm. He was certain of that. “It might be stupid, but I do.”

Jackson's eyebrows rose, the surprise easy to read on his face. “Yeah? I felt a bit stupid too...”

“Fuck everyone who says you have to follow some schedule.” Chase ran a finger along Jackson's side, then traced his ribs one at a time around his side to his spine. “I've dated guys for months and never felt half of what I have with you.”

Jackson nodded slowly. “I didn't want to pressure you, but I felt it... so soon.”

“Me, too,” Chase smiled, and Jackson's eyes brightened in response. “We've known each other for ages anyway.”

“Months isn't ages,” Jackson snorted.

“It is,” Chase clicked his tongue, and shut up Jackson's response with a kiss. “Anyway, you said it yourself. You can know you wanna spend your life with someone within weeks. As long as you have the same approach to a relationship.”

Jackson was smiling, a teasing amusement glinting in his eyes. “Where's the cynic who told me the other guy could be lying about himself?”

“Well, if you
are
lying about being a good guy, you're a fuckin'
nice
bad guy,” Chase snorted. “Which makes you a good guy anyway.”

Jackson laughed, the sound carrying in the bedroom. He rolled onto his back and rubbed his face. “I... Okay.”

Chase grinned. “Let me have that one.”

“Okay, okay,” Jackson laughed. He wrapped his arm around Chase and pulled him in close. “You're so stubborn you could headbutt a mountain out of the way.”

“There's a testimonial. I like that one,” Chase hummed, resting his head on Jackson's shoulder. It was true: the only reason he'd gotten this far was from sheer defiance.

It was kind of nice to let go of that now and then, though, and Jackson was incredible at easing his defenses down for his own good.

Chase hummed, closing his eyes for a moment as they cooled off and recovered together.

So stubborn
, Chase thought again, his lips quirking into a little smile.
I like that a lot.

“There's one more thing,” Jackson murmured. “But we have to get up for it.”

Chase moaned at the prospect of pulling away from Jackson. “Not yet.”

“Not yet,” Jackson agreed, and lapsed into silence once more as they held each other. They were sticky and exhausted, but they couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Jackson's hand still rubbed along his chest or side or back. Chase rubbed his thumb in slow circles along Jackson's ribs.

This, right here, was heaven.

“So, I might not have been
completely
honest...”

Chase visibly stiffened as he leaned against the kitchen counter and put his glass of water aside. They were both just in jeans, having skipped t-shirts. “About what?”

Jackson chuckled and winked. “Wanna wait here and see?”

“All right...” Chase eyed him and leaned on the counter.

Jackson grabbed his keys and trotted through the yard barefoot, sticking to the grass. He let himself into the workshop and grabbed the heavy bundle on the table, his heart racing. He paused to pat the wrappings back into place.

What would Chase think? Jackson prayed he liked it.

Jackson locked up after himself. Thomas's house lights were on, which was unusual for such a late hour. Jackson grinned again as he remembered what he and Cam had learned that afternoon. He strode on, though, and carried the armful back into the house.

By the time he was in through the patio doors, Chase's face lit up with anticipation.

“I wasn't finishing up a builder's job yesterday,” Jackson told Chase, grinning. “It was... something else.”

“No way. Already?” Chase murmured, his eyes fixed on the bundle.

“Yep. I'm pretty good,” Jackson winked. Honestly, it had taken days of work, usually at the beginning and end of his work days. An automatic hammer had sped up finishing the blade, but the whole process still took a lot longer than he'd ever tell Chase. His Friday work had been the finishing touches, and even that had taken a full day's work from dawn to dusk.

Chase reached out to take the bundle. He looked startled at the weight, then reverently laid it on the counter. “Is it sheathed?”

“No. You'll have to find one,” Jackson chuckled. “I also haven't sharpened it since I wasn't sure if you were displaying it or what. I can do that if you tell me.”

Chase stretched up to kiss him, then turned to pull back the corners of the fabric.

Jackson caught his breath as the silvery steel was revealed under the kitchen lights. It glinted and shimmered from all the polishing he'd done – endless grinding and polishing. The blade itself was true and straight. The guard was a beautiful woven strand of steel circling the hilt and blade. He'd incorporated all the design elements Chase had wanted and then some.

It fit Chase's hand perfectly when Chase wrapped his hand around the hilt to heft it.

“Oh, it's
heavy
!” Chase exclaimed.

Jackson grinned. “Yeah, it would be,” he teased. “Not like your fencing foils.”

Chase shook his head. “Not at all.” He gazed down the length of the blade, then looked up at Jackson. “It's... It's phenomenal. I can't believe it. It's really mine?”

Jackson laughed, wrapping his arm around Chase's shoulder. “It's yours.”

Chase gingerly reached out to run his finger down the unsharpened blade. “I'd like to hang it up. I don't think I'm going to be using it, but if we can find an important spot...”

“Like where?” Jackson smiled.

“The living room? Right where people can see it?”

Jackson chuckled, combing his hand through Chase's hair. “You want to show it off?”

“Duh,” Chase snorted. “It's... incredible.” He couldn't take his eyes off it as he flipped it and turned it this way and that. He kept touching the hilt and the guard and the blade. Finally, he hefted it in both hands to check the balance. “It's nothing like a foil at all, but it's... just what I wanted.”

“Good,” Jackson murmured and kissed the top of his head.

Chase set it down on its wrappings, then threw his arms around Jackson's neck and kissed him hard.

“Ooh.” Jackson had no complaints about his reward. He grinned and nipped Chase's lip, then kissed back as Chase's body melted against his.

Chase finally pulled back and murmured, “Thank you so much. I... I finished your design, by the way. We can go over it if you wanna see... or get it done...”

“Right now?” Jackson perked up. He hadn't expected this offer.

“Hell, yeah. You got my sword done in
blinding
speed,” Chase laughed. “I've got the keys for the shop. Floyd won't care.”

Jackson grinned. He wanted to get the tattoo as soon as possible, so why the hell not?

“Okay. Lead on.”

***

Jackson shivered as he lay back in the chair, his arm relaxed as Chase's Sharpie traced over his bare skin.

“There,” Chase murmured at last, leaning in to kiss his forehead before grabbing a mirror. Jackson twisted in his seat to see.

Oh, wow. That
did
look good.

A lion wrapped around his upper arm, its tail wrapped around his bicep as its mane spread across his shoulder. A sword lay between its paws. A hand caressed its mane – thankfully, this one wasn't a bloodied stump like the original family crest. Woven into the lines was the name
Riley
.

“That's incredible,” Jackson murmured. “I... I want that.”

“We won't be able to finish it in one session,” Chase warned with a laugh. “You might be tough enough, but my hands have to stay steady. It'll take hours to finish it.”

“Oh, shit,” Jackson laughed. “Okay.”

“We're just doing the lines this time, otherwise we'll be up until dawn,” Chase grinned. “Okay?”

“Okay,” Jackson agreed without hesitation. He shivered at the cold alcohol pad swiping across his shoulder, cleaning the skin. As much as he wanted to watch his lover at work, he leaned back and closed his eyes to let Chase work without interruption.

When the buzzing machine touched him, he was surprised at how little pain he felt. It was more like an unpleasant electric shock than the tearing pain he'd expected. Chase's fingers against his skin were delicate, yet firm.

It was almost erotic in a strange way, and Jackson caught his breath at the thought.
Settle down... it's a long session yet.

His thoughts wandered as Chase's needle worked – so much so that when Chase shut it off, Jackson looked over. It must have been an hour or more into it, and Chase had been silent and focused the whole time. “Hm?”

“We're done the lines.”

“Already?” He twisted to take a look at his shoulder and grinned. The reddened skin patches around the Sharpie lines must have been where the needle was tracing. “Wow.”

“No regrets yet?” Chase teased, turning to sterilize the machine in quick, certain movements. It was kind of hot watching him be so proficient.

“None at all.” Jackson's gaze wandered to the shades between the lines. “When are you free to do the rest of it?”

Chase laughed. “We have to either do it tomorrow, before your skin starts properly healing, or wait about two weeks.”

“Fuck, no. Tomorrow it is,” Jackson told him. “If you're available.”

“I have one other tattoo booked tomorrow. I'm sure I can put aside time for a private client afterward,” Chase teased. “Let me just get some gauze on it to protect it overnight. It's gonna look great...”

Jackson gazed at Chase while Chase wrapped the bandage around his upper arm, taping it in place. “Guess I can't shower, huh?”

Chase grinned. “Nah. Baths would be better. I hope you weren't planning on getting filthy before tomorrow.”

“I suppose I can wait on everything I want to do to you,” Jackson teased. He eased himself up to his feet when Chase pulled him up by the hand. He slipped his t-shirt on, wincing at the prickling skin when the fabric pressed against the bandage.

“Ooh.” Chase was working quickly to sanitize the tattoo chair and workspace. He kept sneaking little glances at Jackson. “We can take a bath in your soaker tub tomorrow night...”

“Done,” Jackson agreed. When Chase was ready, he led him out to the front, then waited outside while Chase armed the security alarm.

He could hear frogs peeping down by the river in the warm night. Aside from occasional taxis passing and the sound of revelers a few streets away in the bar district, there was peace and quiet. It was a clear night, too, and the stars were out. Jackson craned his neck back to look up at the sky and enjoy the view.

He was only interrupted when Chase stepped outside and locked the door. His boyfriend tested it and pocketed the keys. “Home?” he suggested, taking Jackson's hand.

Jackson smiled and squeezed Chase's hand firmly, setting off in the direction of their house. “Home,” he agreed.

He already knew exactly what was ahead: his warm, comfortable bed, and Chase wrapped up in his arms. Maybe he'd have to adjust his position a little to accommodate the sore skin of his shoulder, but that would pass within a few weeks' time.

Jackson's eyes wandered up to the stars overhead. The dimmer they were, the closer they were to the nearly-full moon. He smiled and pointed up at it to draw Chase's gaze, then squeezed his hand. “Let's leave the blinds open tonight.”

“Okay. I love the moonlight,” Chase agreed with a smile.

Jackson winked. “And I love you in the moonlight.”

Chase stopped him before he could step out into the crosswalk. The light had just turned red, but Jackson had been too busy watching Chase to notice. Chase laughed quietly, then stretched up and tilted his chin to get Jackson to kiss him. “I love you, too, you ridiculous, sweet man.”

Jackson kissed Chase until the light turned green. Despite Chase's laughter, he still held onto him then. He pressed his lips against Chase's and bumped their noses together until the light turned red again. Chase melted in his arms and kissed him back, Chase's hands cupping his face.

Chase was gonna be okay, and he would be, too. Jackson was certain of it: together, they were starting something beautiful.