Caught Running, page 20
The phone rang just as Jake stepped out of the shower. He’d already done his nightly pills and beer regimen, and the shower was just hot enough to make him languid and sleepy. He took his time getting to the phone, a towel slung over his shoulder as he dripped on the floor.
“Hello?” he answered sedately, not even remembering to check the caller ID first.
Brandon’s eyes immediately fell closed as arousal ripped through him. He’d last heard that tone in Jake’s bed, in Jake’s arms, before they’d fallen asleep last night. “Hey,” he rasped.
Jake blinked in surprise. “Brandon?” he asked in confusion, looking at his wrist to see what time it was and belatedly realizing he didn’t have a watch on. Had he even had time to get home? “Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.
No. No, I’m not. Not when I’m here and you’re there. “Yeah, I’m okay. I just wanted to, ah, check and see if your knee was okay.” Brandon winced. What a stupid thing to say. He turned and pushed his face against the wall.
Jake blinked stupidly again, frowning at the odd tone of Brandon’s voice but not able to figure out quite what was wrong with it. “Uh,” he answered as soon as he realized that he needed to say something, “it’s doing about the same as usual.”
“Right,” Brandon answered, then he caught himself. “I mean, sorry about that. I guess you’ve taken the painkillers and all.” He was standing there shuffling in his own bedroom. God. Could he get any more pathetic? He’d been just fine when they were together.
“Yeah,” Jake answered guiltily, blushing a bit as he drip-dried beside the bed. He’d never felt guilty for his nightly painkiller regimen before; why should he now?
“Okay,” Brandon said, at a loss for what to say but unwilling to give up the tenuous connection over the dead air.
Jake waited, frowning harder now and wishing he had just kicked himself into asking Brandon to stay. Even if Brandon hadn’t wanted to, he probably would have, right? And if he was calling now, maybe he hadn’t wanted to go home after all. “You should’ve stayed,” he blurted.
Brandon’s stomach rolled and he squeezed his eyes shut. “I wanted to,” he admitted.
Jake was silent, the missed opportunity curling in his chest painfully. “We really need to work on our communication skills,” he finally said flatly.
“I agree,” Brandon said, voice strained. He turned and leaned against the wall, sliding down until he squatted, face turned down to the floor. “I just haven’t got the greatest confidence, I guess,” he murmured.
“Me either,” Jake muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at his still wet body. He sighed heavily and pulled the towel off his shoulder to begin patting at his skin. “Sorta stupid considering what we did all weekend, huh?”
Brandon groaned. “As much as I appreciate the thought, don’t remind me, okay?” He sighed. “I thought about you all the way home, how I should have said something, how I should have at least kissed you good night.”
Jake’s lips twitched, and he lowered his head. Telephones made some people say things they wouldn’t normally say. For Jake, though, he was probably less likely to say what he wanted if he was saying it to a mouthpiece. He bit his lip, sliding his toe across the floor as he tried to force his tongue to form a response. “You should have,” he eventually replied.
Fuck. Brandon wanted to get right back into the damn car and drive there right the hell now. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said in a hoarse voice. He was never going to sleep now. Not without a massive jerk-off first.
Jake smiled slightly at the sound of Brandon’s voice. “I thought about you until the water went cold,” he said on impulse, blushing even as he spoke.
“Jesus Christ, Jake!” The voice that rasped was obviously strained. “I’m not going to be able to run with my cock this damn hard.”
Jake’s lips twitched into another smile, and he licked his lips. He really enjoyed the idea that just a phone call had excited Brandon. “You should have thought ahead,” he scolded, his voice just a bit lower than normal.
Brandon groaned audibly. “The wrong head is doing all the thinking,” he muttered. “But I’m still glad I called.”
“Me, too,” Jake responded as he dropped his towel and shivered involuntarily. “You really going running?” he asked, not even sure why he asked. What, did he want Brandon to stay on the phone with him until he fell asleep? Jesus.
Sighing, Brandon sank the rest of the way to the floor. He wanted to lie. He didn’t want to expose himself so much. But “I’d rather stay here and talk to you” was what came out.
Jake shivered again as he sat on the edge of the bed. He shook slightly now, but he wasn’t certain exactly why. He considered asking if Brandon was willing to drive back to his house and stay there. He had to make the drive in the morning anyway, right? But he didn’t dare admit how selfish he really was. “I’m not sure how long I’ll last,” he murmured instead, rubbing his eyes as he said it. “I’d feel guilty for keeping you.”
Brandon felt flushed all over. “You sound really tired. I’m going to go for a short run, then grade some papers,” he said, though he felt rather resigned about it. Maybe he’d just curl up in the sheets and see if he could still catch Jake’s scent. “Get some sleep, okay?”
“My pillows still smell like you,” Jake told Brandon with a small smile. “Should be easy to sleep.”
Aw. Hell. “Bastard,” Brandon muttered. “Good night.”
“Night, Brandon,” Jake murmured, his knee bouncing nervously. “I’m glad you called,” he added with a tinge of relief.
“Me too,” Brandon said, then forced himself to pull the phone away from his ear and push the button to end the call. He clutched the cordless between his hands and pressed it to his forehead, feeling more alone than ever. Dragging himself up, he looked at the bed. Within a few seconds’ time he had decided, dropping the phone and crawling into the sheets to curl up there and just remember and dream.
Jake heard the line go dead and sighed heavily as he looked down at the receiver and shut it off. There was something about Brandon’s voice that always left him feeling empty when it was no longer there.
Chapter 10
It was a gorgeous day for running. Low 70s, a nice breeze, just a bit overcast. Brandon had settled into a solid run seven laps ago and was about to finish the second mile. A glance at his watch told him he had plenty of time for a couple more and a shower after. He could feel the stress sloughing off and told himself again that he had to make time for this. It cleared his mind, and he felt much better for it as his long legs ate up the track. Distracting himself, he composed a test in his head, working out essay questions. It would be simple to type it up later. He’d gotten a decent amount of grading done during tutoring this morning, and he thought he might try that more often to free up running time at night.
Striding past the press box, Brandon was oblivious to anything else but the asphalt. Kids began to filter out of the gymnasium complex in twos and threes, some carrying soccer balls or footballs and chattering happily, some looking around for a way to escape class today. The coach was the last one out of the building, his clipboard under his arm and his whistle in his teeth as he counted the kids. Not many were brave enough to try and escape Jake’s gym classes. He was one of the few teachers spiteful enough to track them down when they did.
Jake caught sight of the lone figure running the track around the field, long and lean and eating up the distance with graceful strides. He blinked at the unexpected pang of lust that shot through him and looked away quickly. Jesus, what was wrong with him? Another glance that he just couldn’t help, and an uncomfortable flutter of relieved emotions went through him as Jake realized that it was Brandon running.
The scattered sound of voices caught Brandon’s attention and he looked up to see students crossing the track to the football field, some already kicking soccer balls around. A gym class. Which meant Jake couldn’t be far behind. Despite the rise in his pulse, Brandon forced himself to keep drawing slow, easy breaths, never breaking stride as he raised a hand in answer to some of the students’ greetings.
Jake headed over to the benches that lined the football field and thunked down, his eyes barely ever leaving Brandon’s running form. He had to pass behind Jake on the track, and when he did Jake lowered his head and bit his lip, watching the disorganized soccer game intently. As Brandon hit the top of the track again and came into view, Jake’s eyes followed him. He had never seen him run like this. He had known he could, obviously, but sometimes only seeing was believing. He swallowed heavily and tried desperately to pay attention to the class.
Finishing his third mile, Brandon was aware of Jake’s presence, and he thought he might have caught the coach watching him. It was easy to keep going. He’d long ago perfected the art of staying in gear while his mind went other places. Now he was well warmed up, and he added a bit of speed as he started into the fourth mile. He wanted to finish strong so he’d be pleasantly tired tonight. Brandon wondered, idly, what Jake was thinking about if he was watching him.
If he had known exactly what Jake was thinking, he likely wouldn’t have been able to finish his lap.
Another seven minutes passed and Brandon finally slowed to a jog for half a lap, then a rolling walk, hands extending over his head in a cooling stretch, feeling much better than when he’d awoken that morning. He stopped to grab the towel he’d tossed over the fence so he could wipe away the worst of the sweat, and when he turned, it was impossible to miss Jake sitting inside the fence on the sideline bench. Brandon ambled in that direction, hanging the towel around his neck, arms dangling from each end.
Jake turned his head slightly to see Brandon walk up. He couldn’t help but smile when their eyes met. “I see you never got your run in last night,” he greeted in a knowing, intimate voice.
Brandon would have blushed if he wasn’t already flushed. He leaned on the fence, about ten feet away. “No, no, I didn’t,” he admitted. “Had other things on my mind, actually,” he said pointedly. To him, keyed up from his run, warm all over and now fighting the urge in his gut, Jake looked positively edible. Bad idea to have a hard on in running shorts, Bartlett.
“Oh yeah?” Jake responded innocently. “Have a hard night, did you?” he asked in the same tone, craning his neck to peer up at Brandon through the bright sunshine.
Eyes narrowing, Brandon’s answer was designed to hopefully make Jake feel the same way he did. “There were some things hard about it, yes. For a while, anyway. Then it was easier to sleep.”
Jake pressed his lips together to restrain the smile and nodded. “I had a hard night, too,” he countered, resting one ankle on his knee and holding his foot to keep his knee from bouncing.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Brandon said, deliberately playing it up, although he’d really rather stop talking so vaguely. He sighed. “I need to go shower. I’ve got about thirty minutes until class,” he said regretfully.
Jake looked down briefly before glancing back up at Brandon. He was no longer smiling, and his eyes had gone black and glinting. “You giving me a ride home today?” he asked in a low voice, mindful of anyone close to them.
Rather than waffling like yesterday, Brandon knew exactly what he wanted. The shine in Jake’s eyes was almost a promise. “Yes.”
“Good,” Jake murmured, lips curving crookedly in a pleased, slightly evil smile. “I look forward to it.”
Brandon knew he would think of that smile the rest of the day. “Good,” he said playfully, walking backwards away from the fence before turning to jog back to the gym and the shower.
Jake was careful not to turn and watch him go. Instead he turned his attention back to the kids and silently wondered how he would get through the rest of the day.
Confirming his thought, Brandon did indeed think of Jake’s smile through classes, lunch and practice. He packed up equipment along with Jonathan, thinking about that smile. He waited as Jake finished up, leaning on the fence as usual, contemplating how caught up he was in the other man. He felt like he wanted to change his whole life around just to keep Jake in it. Brandon was pretty sure it wasn’t transitory on his part. He wouldn’t tire of being around Jake’s frenetic energy and schizophrenic behavior. No, he was more concerned about Jake deciding he’d had enough of the admittedly geeky and focused science teacher who was taking a flying leap by trying to at least act like a coach.
Jake took one last look around the empty field before strolling over to the fence where the other coaches were all waiting for him.
“Whatcha think, Coach? You ran them hard enough. Have they got that defeated mindset out of their heads?” Troy asked seriously.
“No,” Jake answered, kicking the fence in frustration. “They will, though,” he added determinedly watching the last tired kid straggle out of sight. “Let’s go home,” he huffed. “I’m tired.”
Jonathan and the college guys said goodbye and wandered off, and Troy zipped off in his golf cart, leaving Jake and Brandon walking across the parking lot toward the Jetta. It was a quiet drive to Jake’s, even more so when Brandon pulled into the driveway.
Jake cocked his head to the side and looked up at his house. “So what am I doing wrong?” he asked out of the blue. “What am I doing different this year that’s fucking them up?”
Brandon glanced at Jake, a little surprised. “I’m not sure I can even come close to answering that, Jake. But I can tell you what I think,” he offered.
“Okay,” Jake responded with a nod, still looking up at his house.
“I think they’re nervous. They want to please you. They’re so tied up in knots about it that their focus is shot.”
Jake flinched and glanced over at Brandon. “That’s never been a problem before,” he argued weakly.
“They’ve never been this close before,” Brandon said in a quiet voice. “They want it, and more so, they know you want it. It’s not a bad thing, Jake. They’re just, well, they’re trying too damn hard. They need to relax and enjoy it.”
Jake was silent again, thinking. He would have to turn more of his concentration to this than he had been. He hadn’t even realized he had begun to slack until it was too late.
“Jake. You have got to relax. Every time you tense up, they tense up. The tighter you get, the tighter they get. Hell, the more you stress, the more they stress!” Brandon shook his head, seeing the dark look on Jake’s face. “Am I getting through at all here?”
“Yes,” Jake answered tightly.
Closing his eyes as Jake’s tense voice cut through him, Brandon tried to shrug it off as much as possible. “Okay,” he whispered, just sitting there. He didn’t know what else to say or do.
“Thanks,” Jake whispered, feeling guilty. He swallowed and nodded at the house with a small smile. “Care to come in?” he asked wryly.
Brandon’s eyes blinked open, and he relaxed a little as he looked over at Jake. “Yeah,” he agreed.
Jake had been watching him and he sighed. “I make you nervous, too, don’t I?”
“Sometimes,” Brandon admitted evenly, but he added a playful grin after. “It’s usually in a good way, though.”
“Is it?” Jake asked.
The moment tensed, and it felt like a turning point – like Brandon’s decision now would turn him right or left. One road steered him on his way alone. The other.... He nodded, meeting Jake’s eyes, purposefully letting the emotions he usually quashed shine in his eyes. This was his chance. “Yes.”
Jake felt an unusual flutter in his chest, and he frowned at Brandon in continued silence. Then he leaned over the console between them and pulled Brandon closer to kiss him impulsively.
It was like the first time, that nervous kiss on the couch. Brandon’s surprise held him aloof for a few moments before he relaxed into Jake’s arms and returned his kiss whole-heartedly. Maybe Jake had glimpsed what Brandon felt.
When Jake finally pulled away, just a little, and rested his nose and lips against Brandon’s cheek, his chest was tight and his breathing was coming in slow, quiet gasps. “I could really get used to this,” he murmured.
Aching and swirling with heat, Brandon nodded his agreement. “Car’s probably not the best place,” he murmured, but he made no move to uncurl his hands from Jake’s jersey or pull away.
“You’re absolutely right,” Jake answered, kissing him again.
Brandon literally whimpered into Jake’s mouth, sliding one hand up to cup the back of Jake’s neck. He was swiftly losing any sense of propriety. “Jake,” he breathed as their lips parted for a bare moment.
“Inside?” Jake breathed in response, not removing his lips from Brandon’s as he spoke.
A moan caught in Brandon’s throat. “Inside... inside!” he urged, deliberately acknowledging the double meaning, and he crushed his lips to Jake’s again for a heated kiss before pulling back and lurching out of the car.
Jake was left sitting in the car and swallowing hard when the door slammed shut. He sat for another moment, blinking and trying to clear the fog of lust in his brain, then he followed Brandon out of the car and caught him as he came around the front end. Jake grabbed him and threw him against the hood of the car, flattening him there and kissing him again feverishly in the semi-privacy of his large, wooded front yard.
Brandon’s breath whooshed out of his chest as he hit the hood, Jake’s weight atop him and around him and eating him alive, feeding the hunger that flared inside him. He clung to the other man, arms closing around wide shoulders and one leg curling around firm thighs, his other knee propped up so that Jake ground their groins together. He was only dimly aware of the light breeze blowing through the trees as the sun set.
Jake all but devoured him, pressing him against the hood of the car and kissing him as if he had been deprived of the privilege for years. His hands roamed over Brandon’s body, depending on the sheer force of his body weight to keep him from getting away, and he rocked against him, demanding more.
