Rough Boys Ch. 21

This is a copyrighted work of fiction. All rights reserved. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

All characters engaged in sexual acts in this story are at least eighteen years of age.

****

Sean flew madly around the house, picking up odds and ends which were out of place. Luckily the house was fairly clean because Dani and Erin were both neatniks. He'd insisted Erin take his bedroom and he'd been sleeping on the foldout couch, but he didn't mind. It was great having her around and getting to know her as an adult.

Their recording sessions had been going really well. Erin had morphed her style to meld with theirs and the whole was better than the sum of the parts. They sounded awesome—he'd never played in a band that had even come close to matching their level of professionalism and talent. One of the nicest parts was that everyone was sane. Well, at least as sane as musicians ever get. There were no prima-donnas in the bunch.

He knew both Nigel and he could be arrogant pricks at times, but they were working on that. Dani was a creative genius and yet still so modest it was humbling. Erin was brilliant as well, and she had the self-confidence that Dani lacked. Sometimes she said things that could have come across as arrogant, but somehow never did. She had a wicked sense of humor and was so generous with her affections that she was rapidly endearing herself to the other band members. Sean had fallen under her spell when she was but a wee lass of three. It was wonderful to have one of his favorite people so close. He'd missed her.

Physically Sean was still in the best shape of his life. He'd kept up a strict workout regiment in spite of the long hours they were putting in at the studio. He meditated every day too, which in many ways took the place of drugs. He was no longer staying up until the wee hours, snorting cocaine, drinking himself into oblivion, and waking up feeling as if he'd been run over by a truck.

But there was a void in his life that gnawed at him. He hadn't had sex with anyone in almost a year. He'd set his sights on winning Kaeden the very first time he saw him, and no one else measured up. No one had ever turned his head the way Kaeden did.

But Kaeden had changed. Sean wasn't sure he would ever recover from what had happened to him. And even though Sean wasn't doing drugs anymore, Kaeden still didn't want anything to do with him. It hurt, but he couldn't seem to move on. He just poured himself into work and workouts and tried not to think about sex or romance or any of the other things he was missing.

Now Kaeden was on his way over and his normal tranquility had deserted him. For the first time in a long time he wished for a cigarette to settle his jangled nerves.

****

Kaeden reached out to ring the doorbell and then paused in dismay. His hand was shaking life a leaf in a strong wind. He clenched his fists and folded his arms tightly over his chest. Looking at his feet, he bit his lip to try to pull his mind away from the sheer terror which lurked in its shadowed corners.

Why the hell am I so afraid? This is Sean. He would never hurt me.

But perhaps that was why he was so afraid. Sean cared for him and he couldn't deny his attraction to the big Irishman. He was terrified of the intimacy that he knew he could fall into with this man. Terrified of his touch ... and yet he craved it.

Suddenly the door flung open and he choked back a squeal of surprise. His heart started thumping double-time as he looked up at Sean.

Sean had a huge grin on his face and his eyes twinkled in welcome. Kaeden's heart rate didn't slow, but the reason for its rapid pace shifted suddenly from fear to desire. Sean hadn't said anything yet, but his affection for Kaeden was apparent on his face, and it warmed him to the core. Maybe it won't be so bad.

"Come in, come in," Sean boomed.

"Hey Sean," Kaeden said, feeling shy, which was an unusual state for him. "You look great. You've been taking care of yourself."

He followed Sean into the living room, noting the house was cleaner than usual. Kaeden set his backpack on the floor next to the couch and peeled off the hooded sweatshirt that he'd been wearing to ward off the spring evening's chill.

Sean couldn't help but devour Kaeden with his eyes. He was wearing blue jeans which hugged his narrow hips snugly and a red T-shirt that, although not tight, wasn't two sizes too big for him. His hair was still cut in a short, masculine style and he wasn't wearing earrings, but he couldn't hide his natural femininity. It was in the way he walked, the tilt of his head, the flutter of his delicate hands. It didn't matter what Sean's brain told him, he couldn't deny that his body wanted Kaeden. Badly.

Kaeden sat demurely on the couch and smiled up at Sean.

"Can I get you anything? Water, tea, juice...?" Sean asked.

"No, nothing right now, thanks."

Sean sat down on the couch too, leaving a respectable distance between him and the object of his desire.

"I love your hair," Kaeden said. His hand flew out as if to touch Sean's unruly red locks, and then he froze. The expression on his face was one of consternation. He quickly withdrew his hand and shifted uncomfortably.

"You like this mess, huh?" Sean asked running a hand through his hair. He wished it were Kaeden's hands in his hair.

Kaeden watched him silently, almost wistfully.

"I'm sorry I dragged you away from your Saturday plans to come babysit me," Sean said. "I'm ... I really appreciate it. I don't think I could have made through the night without...." He trailed off, not even wanting to think about he might have done.

"It's okay. I didn't have any plans." Kaeden smiled gently.

"I've been good since rehab, but sometimes it's really hard."

"So you've really given up everything?" Kaeden asked. He hadn't missed that there were no ashtrays around and the house didn't smell as if anyone had smoked in it recently.

"Aye. Everything: drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, coffee...." Sex. "I'm a pretty boring guy these days."

"Oh, I hardly think that," Kaeden said. His eyes swept suggestively down Sean's lean, muscled torso.

Sean did not miss his innuendo. He sucked in a sharp breath as he felt blood rushing into his cock. Shit! I can't believe he just said that. Kaeden looked like he was trying to put his blank mask back on. Sean got abruptly to his feet. "I'm going to fetch a glass of water. Do you want one?"

"Sure."

By the time Sean got into the kitchen, his cock was straining against his jeans. He leaned against the counter and took a few deep breaths. Holy shit, Kaeden. Did you really just flirt with me? It's not going to take much to encourage me. I am so fucking horny for you!

Sean waited until he got his hard-on under control before he returned with the water.

He found Kaeden going through their game selection.

"You've got some great classic games," the Asian said enthusiastically. "Do you want to go against me in Mortal Kombat?"

I would love to go against you ... and cum against you. Sean bit back the double entendres which just seemed to occur to him naturally whenever he was around the sexy femme. "Sure."

An hour later Sean threw down his game controller in disgust. "You're just too damn good at this. I give up!"

Kaeden's tinkling laugh filled the room. "Had enough of me, have you?"

"I've had enough of getting my arse whipped, but I don't think I could ever get enough of you." Sean had always been an open book. Even when he tried, he never seemed to be able to hide his feelings, but he was comfortable enough with himself that he usually didn't care. Now he worried that he'd make Kaeden uncomfortable with his open declarations of devotion, but the young Asian just smiled at him, his eyes twinkling.

Sean's heart slammed against his chest as if it were trying to beat loud enough for Kaeden to hear, so he would know that it was beating for him. He had been so afraid that the sparkle had been permanently extinguished from Kaeden's eyes, but only an hour into their time together it was coming back.

"So what now? Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I am," Kaeden said in surprise. When he'd arrived his stomach had been in such a tight knot he didn't think he'd be able to eat anything, but the big Irishman was so easy-going and affectionate, he'd managed to put Kaeden at ease.

"There's a great Thai place two stops away on the light-rail route ... if you like Thai ... if you don't mind getting out of the house a bit."

"I love Thai food. That sounds great."

****

Two hours later they walked back from the station. Sean's step was lively and Kaeden practically danced. Both of them were full of energy born of the excitement of each other's company.

Sean considered dinner a huge success. Kaeden had been almost back to normal; there were a few times during dinner when a haunted look would steal over his eyes, but Sean was always able to chase it away quickly.

They had flirted with each other, subtly at first and then with increasing boldness. Sean held back, not wanting to push Kaeden too hard, so Kaeden himself had initiated a lot of the innuendo. It had been a long time since Sean had laughed so much during a meal. Their mood continued on the way home.

At one point during dinner, Kaeden had admitted to Sean that he'd packed a toothbrush, just in case.

After that, Sean's hungry dick became a torment. It was never less than half hard and there were a few times when Sean was worried that he was about to leak precum all over his underwear. His balls ached for release ... release inside a certain Asian's tight, hot channel. It took all his control to wrest his mind away from such thoughts. He needed to go slow and be very careful if he wanted to have any hope of winning Kaeden's affections.

Kaeden felt light and free. He felt as if he'd been locked in a small, dark, stuffy box for six months and had suddenly been let out into a brilliant summer day. His bad memories flitted around the edge of his consciousness, as if wanting to recapture him and force him back into the box. But then he would look at Sean's smile and the memories would be banished, evaporating into thin air in the face of his hot Irish sun.

And hot he was. He'd never noticed that Sean's eyes were the color of a summer sky before; he knew they were blue, but had never seen them so clear and bright. Sean's muscles bulged under his T. Even his forearms were muscular and dusted with a generous smattering of freckles and red hair. Kaeden couldn't help but wonder what Sean was hiding under his clothes. He was having stirrings that he hadn't felt in a long while.

Along with the twitches of his cock, came fear and guilt. The fear he managed to manhandle back into the dark recesses of his mind through sheer force of will. The guilt was harder to overcome. His parents had been almost as distraught as he himself had been over his treatment by Mark. They'd made him promise to give up men altogether. They were still under the delusion that sexual orientation was a choice and were sure that Kaeden would find a nice girl as soon as he quit chasing boys.

Kaeden was under no such delusion. Girls held no sexual appeal for him and never would. He knew that giving up men meant giving up sex altogether, but at the time he'd made the promise, it had been easy. The thought of sex made him nauseous. He didn't even want to look at a naked man ever again. But now, with Sean's clean masculine scent filling his senses and his sharp, sexy wit teasing his mind, he was starting to regret that promise.

He followed Sean into his house, not able to keep himself from noticing how nicely Sean's jeans hugged his muscular butt. He couldn't help but wonder what that gorgeous ass would feel like under his hands.

"So, I believe I remember you making me a promise at dinner," Kaeden said as he pulled off his hoodie.

"Which one was that?" Sean's eyes zeroed in on the slice of smooth, bare stomach that was revealed as Kaeden's T-shirt rode up.

Kaeden tossed his sweatshirt on the back of the couch and glanced at Sean in time to see him licking his lips, a very predatory look in his eye. His heart pounded in response, pumping blood to his cock with a swiftness that almost made his dizzy. He sat down on the couch quickly.

"You're going to play some of Leather's new songs for me. I get a personal one-man concert, remember?"

"Aye," Sean said, his face coloring slightly. "I guess I did promise that, didn't I? And I'm a man of me word, if nothing else." His hand shook slightly as he picked up his acoustic guitar from its stand in the corner.

It was very important to him that Kaeden like his music—one song in particular, but he wouldn't start with that one. He couldn't.

"Wow! That's gorgeous," Kaeden said, several songs later. "I can't believe Dani wrote that. Well, I can believe it—he's really talented."

"Aye. You should hear him sing it. His voice is much better than mine."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Sean. You've got a great rich timbre and your pitch is perfect."

Sean flushed slightly, smiling. "Here's one that Erin wrote. She does a better job of playing it than me, but I'll give it a whirl." Sean's fingers danced across the strings creating a lively tune. The words were just as buoyant; Sean sang about the struggles of a girl growing up and falling in love, but never taking herself too seriously.

Kaeden found his foot tapping along with the chorus, as Sean sang,

"She's up. She's down.
She's all around.
She's underwater, over him,
about out of her mind."

He ended with the ignominious line of,

"Then she smiles.
She laughs.
And she doesn't give a rat's ass."

Kaeden laughed until he was out of breath.

"It's even funnier when she sings it," Sean said. "Okay, here's one of mine." He took a calming breath and began to play an intricate melody.

Kaeden settled back to listen. The song was short but well crafted. The words were ambiguous and most people would probably wonder about their meaning, but to Kaeden it was clear. Sean was singing about his slide into drug use using a loose metaphor of fighting a dragon that had powerful, evil magic.

"Wow! That's really gripping," Kaeden said when Sean's last deep note died out.

"You like it? Sean asked, feeling shy.

"Yes, very much."

"Okay. I have another one I wrote, but I'm a bit afraid to play it for you."

Kaeden's curiosity was piqued. "Why?"

"Well, it's ... um ... it's about you."

"About me?" Kaeden echoed back.

"Do you want to hear it?"

"Of course! I'd love to!" Kaeden was near to bursting now with excitement and curiosity.

"I started writing it while I was in rehab, but just wrote the last stanza a few weeks ago. I hope you don't get mad."

Mad? Why would I get mad? Kaeden wondered.

"I mean, I hope it's not too much," Sean followed up quickly. "I'd like to put in on the album—with your permission of course."

"Well, let's hear it." Kaeden couldn't wait any longer.

Sean began to play. The tune started out with a quick staccato rhythm. Sean sang of meeting a beautiful Asian who reminded him of a little bird. He filled in with details of Kaeden's bright eyes and peacock-like hair. When he came to the chorus, the tune changed and the rhythm slowed down. The chorus told of how quickly and hard he'd fallen for his little bird and ended with a single word, "Unbelievable."

The fast rhythm and bouncy tune returned in the second verse. He told of getting to know his little bird better, of his longing to touch and taste, and of discovering that his bird was as beautiful on the inside as the outside. Some of the chorus lines were identical to the first one, but the last few lines were different—describing his realization that he'd fallen in love. It ended with the word, "Undeniable."

The tune of the third verse had echoes of the first and second in it, but it was slower, almost ominous. Sean watched Kaeden carefully as he sang about him running off with another man and getting hurt badly. The words did not reveal any details, but the main point was clear. The chorus ended with, "Unthinkable." Kaeden's face darkened as he listened and a lump rose in Sean's throat, but he was this far into it, he had to finish.

The last verse told of Kaeden's struggles to cope and to put his life back together. As Sean neared the chorus, he realized his story wasn't accurate any more. The last two chorus lines had described how Kaeden would never be the same and had ended with the word "Unrecoverable," but now he didn't believe that. In spite of the expression on Kaeden's face at that moment, the time they had spent together this evening had convinced him that Kaeden could and would get better. He quickly changed out the last two sentences, going with what popped into his mind to describe the triumph of Kaeden's spirit, even though it didn't rhyme. He ended with the word, "Uncrushable."

When he finished he held his breath. Kaeden was looking at the floor, what he could see of the expression on his face was blank. Sean felt as if his heart was being squeezed in a vice and was in danger of rupturing.

Kaeden finally looked up at him and his eyes glistened with tears, but there was a smile on his lips. "That was so beautiful, Sean. Thank you."

"It's okay, then?" Sean asked, needing more reassurance. "I'm still working on the ending—the words aren't quite right yet."

Kaeden's smile broadened. "No, it's not just okay, it's amazing! Will you play it for me again."

"You want to hear it again?" Sean was incredulous.

Kaeden nodded. "Yes, please."

Sean felt warmth exploding in his chest. My little bird likes my song. He began to play again, more relaxed this time, letting the music sweep him away. When he finished he unslung his guitar and set it carefully on the coffee table before he looked at Kaeden.

Kaeden was looking at him with something that might have been adoration in his eyes. "No one has ever written a song for me before," he said, his voice tinged with awe.

Sean smiled. "I like it, but wasn't sure anyone else would."

"I think everyone will like it. You are incredibly talented. Anyone who hears that song will remember it. It's absolutely lovely," Kaeden gushed. "What do your band mates think?"

"I haven't played it for them yet. It's pretty personal. I wanted you to hear it first, but I wasn't sure how that was going to happen. And we're running out of time. We're supposed to finish recording by the end of April."

Kaeden narrowed his eyes slightly, "So you got me over here on the pretext of saving you from drug use just so you could play it for me?"

"No!" Sean cried in protest. Then he saw that Kaeden was laughing. He chuckled. "Really, I didn't even think about your song until we were eating dinner."

"Got you good! You were worried I was mad." Kaeden smirked at him.

"Yeah, and I was worried you wouldn't like the song."

"I love it," Kaeden assured him. "I don't know how to thank you." Kaeden reached out impulsively and grabbed one of Sean's hands in both of his.

Sean's head snapped up to meet Kaeden's wide-eyed gaze. His heart thudded against his ribs. They stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity but couldn't have been more than a few seconds. Then he saw Kaeden's focus shift to his mouth. There was longing in his eyes.

He wants a kiss!

Sean drew in a sharp breath as an inferno flared up in his chest. Kaeden's generous lips were parted, the bottom one trembling slightly.

Do I dare?

His eyes met Kaeden's again. The young Asian started giggling and the tension was broken.

Sean breathed a small sigh. Patience.