Spark (33 page)

“Looks like it. Thanks for helping. Did I scare you off when you saw all my balances?”

“What? No. Why would it?”

“I don’t know. I read somewhere that all your housing expenses shouldn’t be more than thirty percent of your take-home pay. I think I’m closer to fifty percent. I’m sacrificing to live in the heart of Uptown. I know I could live somewhere else cheaper, but then I’d miss out on everything that happens here, and there’s
always
something happening. I love this area. Being so close to everything, I barely drive, and my car has been paid off for a few years already. It only has twenty thousand miles on it or something like that.”

“Hugo, you don’t have to justify your financial choices to me. I’m not my dad. I’m not judging you. You work jobs you love and live where you want and spend your money however you choose.”

How had Kevin picked up on Hugo’s worries when he hadn’t even fully realized them himself yet?

“Listen to me,” Kevin said as he pulled Hugo in for a hug. He pressed his lips right to Hugo’s cheek and spoke in a low, soothing voice. “I know you’re nervous. I am too. Let’s not jump ahead of ourselves. I’m not asking you to marry me or to live together or combine our bank accounts. I’m not that sure of things. Yet. It’s still so new. But I can see it possibly happening. I can see us falling crazy head-over-heels for each other again, wanting to never be apart, and doing things to join our lives together. There’s no one to stand in our way this time. Not my dad, not our classmates, not a small-minded community that we knew could never accept us. There’s nothing in the way, not even my kids, because they adore you and can’t wait to spend more time with you. I don’t know exactly what I see for our future, Hugo, but I think I’m willing to take the risk and give us a real second chance.”

Kevin leaned back and Hugo knew Kevin saw the tears in his eyes. There was no way to keep them away. Kevin thumbed over Hugo’s cheekbone, and his face was so soft and full of love. Hugo was speechless, which was a rarity.

“But”—Kevin’s voice shifted to something more pragmatic—“it’s early, I realize, and I don’t want to jinx this. Let’s not worry about things that haven’t happened yet and just take things as they come. And even if all of that does happen, I would never judge you like my father did all those years ago. Never.”

Hugo took in an unsteady breath and leaned in for a kiss. There were no words, none he could speak that wouldn’t come out sounding either like gibberish or desperation, so he put his feelings into his hands and fought to get Kevin out of his clothes. He could
show
Kevin how much his words struck him.

Without breaking their kisses, which were venturing very close to frenzied, Hugo pulled Kevin to his feet and dragged him to his room. As Hugo sat and scooted back so he was in the center of the bed, he pulled his own shirt over his head and shoved his shorts and underwear down without bothering to unbutton. It might have been funny in another context, but not in that moment when both men were anxious to be touching skin.

Kevin kissed Hugo’s jaw and ear and throat, ending up sucking on his necklace. He licked and sucked on Hugo’s nipples in a way he had never done before, making Hugo wonder if he’d be able to keep his orgasm back the moment his cock was touched. And then Kevin kissed down the center of Hugo’s chest, past his stomach, taking a small detour to investigate his hipbones. Hugo was so on edge he could barely breathe, so when Kevin completely bypassed his cock, he was almost thankful.

Until Kevin started tonguing against Hugo’s groin and ass cheeks.

They weren’t the inexperienced movements of someone who hadn’t a clue what he was doing, but the enthusiastic movements of someone who was fully invested in that moment and wasn’t giving a thought beyond how to please his partner. And Kevin was bringing Hugo back to the edge faster than he would’ve imagined possible. He licked Hugo’s balls, enveloping them in his mouth and sucking on each before letting them go to move farther down, to lick, to press, to massage on the entire journey to Hugo’s entrance.

Kevin licked, and Hugo slammed his eyes shut. Kevin sucked and kissed at Hugo’s pucker as if he’d been waiting years for this opportunity, pouring everything right there into just a square inch of skin.

Hugo’s legs dropped open, and he curled his spine, pulling his knees close to his chest as Kevin’s warm tongue slipped past tight muscle, which easily became loose and open.

“Fuck, Kevin. Fuck.”

Kevin’s head popped up and he smirked. Fucking smirked. “Good?”

Hugo growled, planted his feet on Kevin’s strong shoulders and started moving his hips so he was fucking himself on Kevin’s tongue. Kevin pulled on Hugo’s hips, encouraging him to do exactly what he wanted, to take everything he needed.

Absently, Hugo stroked his own cock, holding it loosely, moving his hand in lazy motions but concentrating on the sensations of Kevin’s tongue. He felt opened up. He felt free. Somehow he felt as if he could be anything with Kevin in that moment.

Hugo lifted an arm over his head and he whimpered into his bicep at the sensation that started to spread throughout his body. He knew his voice was higher than Kevin was used to hearing, but he didn’t care. Hugo was ready to let go. He was ready to show Kevin
everything
about himself, including the wasted, spent, totally-over-the-edge parts.

And then it stopped. Kevin pulled away just as Hugo was about to tip over the edge.

“Fuck” slipped out but was quickly silenced by the kiss on his mouth, Kevin’s tongue filling him in a different way, communicating how much he craved Hugo.

“Can I?” Kevin whispered between gasped breaths.

Hugo could only moan, not really knowing what was being asked.

“Can I fuck you?” Kevin finally got out.

“Yes,” Hugo moaned. Only once had this happened in high school, Kevin always reluctant, fearful he’d hurt Hugo. “God, Kevin, yes. Please.” He knew how he sounded, desperate, but blew it off as he dug in a drawer for a condom and lube. He opened the condom and rolled it over Kevin’s beautiful cock, loving how perfect he looked wrapped up. A few drops of lube on the tip, and he was ready.

Hugo lay back and let Kevin take over, let him be totally in control of this. Kevin moved Hugo’s legs with confidence, and his mouth seemed to water as he looked down at how ready Hugo’s body was for him. Hugo could feel how his ass ached for Kevin, twitching and spasming in anticipation.

Kevin dripped a little more lube on his fingers and started to rub around Hugo’s hole, trying to make sure he was ready so he wouldn’t be hurt.

“Your cock. I’m ready. I’m really,
really
ready, Kevin.”

Kevin laughed at him, his eyes darting up, and the look of the devil was right there staring back down at Hugo as Kevin pressed inside.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. I’m ready.”

“But you said it’s been over a year for you.”

“God, please, Kevin. Don’t make me wait any longer.”

Kevin chuckled and snuck a quick kiss before finally giving Hugo what he wanted.

It was a steady, too-slow burn, but Hugo waited, giving Kevin the time he needed to feel confident. Kevin gave a few experimental thrusts, studying Hugo’s face for something, perhaps pain or pleasure. There was nothing but pleasure. And then Kevin pulled away slowly only once more before he slammed his hips against Hugo’s ass.

Hugo gripped what he could reach of Kevin’s ass and pulled him closer, loving the feel despite his breath being literally stolen from him. “Fuck. Fucking fuck me.”

Kevin laughed but kept up the intensity.

Hugo realized what he’d said and was able to gasp out, “Your cock… takes away… my fucking… intelligence,” and then Kevin stopped so Hugo could continue. “Or at least my impression of intelligence. So fuck me harder!”

That seemed to be all Kevin was waiting for because after his momentary chuckle, he rose up on his knees and thrust so hard Hugo had to brace his hands on the headboard so he wasn’t sent through the wall and into the next apartment.

How awkward would that have been?

Despite how intensely Kevin was fucking him, he touched Hugo’s skin with a tenderness that bespoke of past kisses—barely there touches and caresses whenever skin came close enough to taste. It was all-encompassing, and as Hugo walked the soles of his feet farther and farther up Kevin’s body, ending up with his toes near Kevin’s fricking ears and Kevin’s cock so far up his ass he thought he could feel it in his throat, they were still kissing as if it were their first time ever, or the last time they’d kissed in the woods before Kevin left for college.

Hugo came with a grunt which forced his teeth to bite into Kevin’s bottom lip before he stopped himself and sucked instead. He could feel the muscles in his ass and groin spasm, contracting in amazing waves of pleasure that seemed to pull Kevin’s control away from him. Kevin looked shattered, falling apart above Hugo in what could only be described as sobs. Hugo could feel Kevin’s cock pulse as he spent himself, energy draining away.

Long moments later, Kevin was still hard and buried inside Hugo, but collapsed on top of him, unwilling or unable to move. Hugo didn’t complain, didn’t try to move away at all, only shifting his legs so they rested on the bed again.

Slow kisses were pressed into the skin along Hugo’s neck and collarbone. For his part, Hugo skimmed his hands down Kevin’s sweaty back and held him closer.

“I love you,” Kevin whispered. Hugo was stunned and felt his muscles tighten slightly. “Maybe that’s too quick.”

“No.” Hugo stopped Kevin’s next word. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and kissed Kevin’s full lips. “I love you, Kevin. I always have.”

“Me too. So much, and I never really told you. I always regretted that. Please don’t be afraid to tell me how you feel, okay?” Kevin asked. “Ever. If there’s one thing I learned from my failed marriage, it’s that keeping feelings hidden doesn’t help, and eventually it gets to be too little too late. Okay?” Hugo nodded, his eyes still closed as he took advantage of the proximity of Kevin’s mouth.

All too soon and with a pained groan, Kevin pulled out of Hugo and moved to toss the condom. It was upsetting to Hugo how empty he felt without Kevin inside him any longer. He curled toward the center of the bed and waited.

“Do you know how perfect this looks right now, except for one thing?” Kevin asked in the doorway, his beautiful naked body still flushed and fucked out.

“No. What?”

“Mmm. Something’s missing, and I think you know it.” Kevin crossed the room and climbed on top of Hugo’s bed, sliding close to Hugo and pulling him even closer.

“You?”

“Us. It was missing us.”

“Damn romantic.”

Welcomed with Open Arms

T
HE
next week flew by, and before Hugo even realized, it was Friday night again, and he was driving toward Kevin’s house. There was a mass exodus leaving the city for the weekend, so traffic was awful. Although he rarely drove his Mini Cooper, Hugo usually had fun when he did. But even the spiced-orange color on the hood couldn’t get past the gray of his mood as he waited for what felt like ages. While he sat there willing the car in front of him to move, or any car to move, for that matter, his mind drifted back to the day he finally logged on to Facebook and became friends with Kevin. Hugo preferred Twitter, but it seemed Kevin was more of a Facebook guy.

Hugo had spent a solid twenty minutes looking around at Kevin’s photos, his likes, reading things he’d posted, and even taking a cursory glance through his friends. After all their years apart, they still had a lot in common, at least the core things, the things that mattered. His relationship status was listed as separated, and Erin was still his friend, so Hugo had taken a peek at her profile too, which wasn’t entirely blocked from his perusal. Her relationship status was listed the same way. There were only a few photos of them together on both their pages, but only if the children were doing something special in the pictures with them. It seemed as if Kevin had gone through and deleted or untagged himself from those showing him and Erin as a happy couple.

Hugo and Kevin had had some interactions on the site over the next day, liking photos of each other and writing on each other’s timeline, but for the most part, their communication still happened via text message or phone calls. A call right before bed while they were both already lying down had become the norm, with them talking for at least an hour before sleepily saying good night and hanging up.

Finally, traffic started to creep along, and Hugo soon passed a car flipped over on its roof with debris scattered over two lanes of traffic and onto the shoulder. A minivan was a little farther up, skid marks showing where it had swerved after their collision. Suddenly his impatience didn’t seem justified in the least. Hugo hoped the people in the accident were going to be okay.

As soon as cars passed the wreckage, they sped up remarkably and traffic thinned. He merged onto a smaller highway that took him to the suburb of Edina and then finally turned onto a side street that gave way to curvy roads with idealistic monikers that hinted at secret hiding places nestled in the woods. Sure enough, thick areas of trees sprung up alongside the road, interrupted by expansive green yards and sprawling houses here and there that were pushed far back on the properties with semicircular drives. He was very glad to have GPS in his car because he would have definitely gotten lost without it.

At the end of a long, curving road was a fancy mailbox with the name
Magnus
cast in what looked like bronze above the shiny house number. Beside it was a low stairway made of rough-hewn timbers lazily making its way to the front door of the two-story brick house. It was a warm color with a mixture of tans and browns, and there were several limestone retaining walls built up along the gently sloping yard, flowers and small trees filling the space. The grass was beautifully manicured and looked perfect for walking barefoot.