Friends, Sexcapades and Love Affairs Ch. 26

Shane caught his hands. "Now that you had your laugh, what am I going to tell mom?"

The look in his eyes was so intense that Jared felt a small tremble. "You're a good son. You tell her what you think you should tell her."

"That I found the one? That he's no sleek city boy?"

Jared moved close and buried his head in the crook of Shane's shoulder. "You tell her that. But before, tell me."

Shane kissed the crown of his head. "Will you marry me, Jared?"

Jared looked up in shock. "For real? I thought you were just going to tell me that you love me."

"I'm not going home to momma with half-assed answers like that. I better be prepared when we go see her, with the ring and all. And they will surely want to hear us all how we promise to love each other for life."

"Oh, god," Jared mumbled as he pressed his head against Shane's chest. "What did I get myself into?"

"It's easy, city boy. You just say 'yes' and I'll handle the rest."

"Just like that, huh?"

"Just like that."

"You're forgetting something," Jared said.

"What?" Shane asked, a tiny bit alarmed.

When their eyes met this time, Jared's mind was clear like a pond in fair weather. "I love you, Shane. And I'll marry you."

Shane kissed him so deeply that he stopped breathing. But it wasn't like anyone needed to breathe, anyway, right?

***

"There's no need for that," Jared said as he took the condom from Shane's hand. "You've never been with anyone, and I got tested again after that awful think with -"

"What's his name," Shane completed his phrase. "Poof, you forgot it, right?"

Jared chuckled. "All right, I forgot his name. But what's more important is this. No rubber," he said and threw the condom over his shoulder without caring to see where it landed. He wrapped his arms around Shane. "Why didn't you tell me your brother was visiting? Oh, damn, what are we doing? You left him alone?"

"He has things to do until tonight," Shane replied. "And I didn't tell you because I was afraid something like that would happen."

"Something like what? Us finding we love each other?" Jared teased.

"It could go other ways," Shane said solemnly. "My trap was in place, but I didn't know if I caught anything."

"Ah, so you were ensnaring me," Jared said, pretending to be surprised by Shane's craftiness. "What were you afraid of?"

"That my brother would run his mouth and ruin everything. Which he did."

"Except he didn't ruin anything," Jared pointed out. "And you were supposed to wrangle some city boy and bring him home to momma?" He used Shane's drawling accent on purpose. "I must say that I didn't expect a country bumpkin like you to be so sly."

Shane shrugged, and his usual confidence came back. "Well, if you wanna catch a monkey, you gotta climb the tree."

Jared began laughing. "I'm a monkey, now? And I thought you were laying traps."

"Anything I gotta do, I do," Shane said solemnly. "You didn't want to hear about us being boyfriends, and I had to do something. I just didn't know how long it would take for you to realize that you love me."

"So much confidence," Jared commented and shook his head in wonder. "But it appears that there's nothing like jealousy to make one realize what he truly wants."

"Jealousy? Who were you jealous of?" Shane appeared puzzled.

"You were brief on the phone, and I immediately thought you were with someone else, which, looking back, was obviously and completely irrational, but right away, I felt the need to see you. I was relieved when I heard you were with your brother, but then worried again since I thought something must have happened to your family. And then I was a bit upset because you didn't care to confide in me if that was the case," Jared babbled until Shane kissed him softly.

That was the kind of kiss that could melt the polar cap. He stole one more when Shane let him be. "Is it really true? And I was your only one? I mean, ever?"

Shane looked embarrassed for a moment. "I've been with girls. Many years ago. But it felt like something was not quite right."

"I can settle for being your only man, though," Jared whispered. "That's more than enough for me. But still, you must have been in the city for some time when we met."

"Several months, give or take," Shane admitted.

"And no one caught your eye, all that time?"

Shane shook his head, his eyes never leaving Jared.

"And after you met me, and you saw how dumb I was for not wanting you ... weren't you tempted by other guys? You know, smarter than me? Prettier?" he added after a short moment of hesitation.

Shane shrugged. "No. My heart was set on you."

Jared pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep the temptation to let the waterworks flow at bay.

"Did I say something wrong?" Shane asked and caressed his shoulders.

Jared shook his head. "No. You say all the right words. But that's not it. You really mean it, and whatever you want, I can only say 'yes'."

"Babe, you've already said 'yes' to what matters," Shane teased him and pulled him close.

"You mean that after we're married, I can do anything?" Jared asked. Married. It sounded so strange, yet so cool. "Let myself go, not wash the dishes -"

Shane grabbed his chin and looked into his eyes. "You? Not wash the dishes? Sometimes I still have a few bites left when you grab the plates."

Jared gasped. "I don't do that."

Shane seemed to have fun on his account. "And let yourself go? I had no idea what a beauty regimen was before I met you. And I've been with girls as I told you."

"Are you trying to say that I'm shallow?" Jared pretended he was upset.

"I'm just saying that pretty comes with a price, and I don't mind it."

"Of course since it's me paying it, working my ass at the gym and all that."

"I'll give you plenty of workout at home so that you don't have to do that."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. I've thought of everything. You'll stay on top Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays -"

Jared burst into laughter again, incapable of keeping the act up. "I can't believe you proposed and I said 'yes'. It has to be Adrian's fault. If he's ready for the big step, how could I stay behind? But are you really, really sure, Shane?"

"Never been surer of anything else. I'm not the kind of guy to chase -"

"Pants," Jared added promptly and snickered. "Your brother is something. But I'm glad you're not a philanderer." He pushed one finger against Shane's chest. "You really played me, mister."

"Took some effort, you know," Shane said. "Now you should reward me for all that."

"For your fooling me?"

"Hey, there was no way of getting at you otherwise."

"What did Adrian tell you on the phone when he called to announce his engagement to Edward?"

"Ah, that's a secret."

"C'mon, Shane. Don't you know what the secret of a successful marriage is? It's having no secrets."

Shane sighed as if the truth had to be pulled out of him with pincers. "He asked me when I intended to pop the question."

Jared's eyes grew wide, although that was something he suspected already. "Adrian knew!"

"Yeah. He gave me the speech, too."

"Don't tell me ... Mike, too?"

Shane nodded. "Yeah."

"So I was the only fool, after all?"

"It kind of looks like it, babe, not gonna lie."

Jared covered his face and laughed again. He would strangle Adrian and Mike later, but for now, there were more pressing matters. Shane hiked him up in his arms, seemingly without breaking a sweat, and placed him on the bed.

"Is it really better without the rubber?"

"I'm not sure," Jared replied. "I guess more important is who you're with."

Shane offered him a lopsided grin as he stripped. Jared let his eyes traveled over his soon-to-be husband's gorgeous body. Now that was something to look forward to, and he could only imagine everyone's surprise when they announced their decision. He snickered as Shane covered him with his body, enjoying the skin on skin sensation.

They were kissing, and while they had done that plenty of times before, it still felt new. It had the taste of familiar, too, as they knew each other now, but Jared knew they were closer than ever. Shane liked kissing, and he was only happy to oblige, although the feeling of losing control was growing the most during the foreplay, which before had felt unnerving.

There was no trace of that now. Their tongues danced around each other like skillful contestants, teasing, and giving back. Shane pushed his knees up, and Jared exhaled when he felt his boyfriend's naked cock brushing against the patch of skin under his balls.

"We still need that, though," Shane murmured and moved away only so that he could get Jared ready for him.

The mood for long foreplays was gone, so Jared pulled Shane close to him, helping him enter, even if a bit too quickly.

"Babe," Shane whispered, "this is like a million times better!"

Jared laughed and pulled playfully at Shane's ears with both hands. "C'mon, it's not that different."

"But it is! It feels so damned good! It must be because you said 'yes'."

A little more ear-pulling was in order. "C'mon now, don't keep me waiting. I didn't peg you for the type to stop and admire the scenery."

"Your ass is something," Shane said with wonder in his voice.

"Yeah, you've met it already. Now move," Jared teased, although he enjoyed spending time like that, with Shane buried deep inside his body. That was probably what it meant when people said they felt whole. He snickered at the thought.

"I'm moving now, no need to laugh at me," Shane protested. "It's just feels good with you, without anything between us."

"Especially misunderstandings," Jared said. "And my own stupid stubbornness, I guess."

"Don't you worry your pretty head about that," Shane teased as he moved and made Jared gasp in surprised pleasure. "It didn't matter how much it took to win you over."

Jared found himself speechless to that, so instead of struggling to find the right words, he kissed his handsome cowboy lover and pulled him close, wrapping his legs around him. Shane had no trouble finding the right rhythm, and soon, they were making the bed rock, like many times before.

Only this time, it was different, and it was different in the most fantastic way possible.

***

"Is your curiosity sated already?" Jared looked over his shoulder. He was spent, and there was nothing but honey in his veins, but Shane needed to grab a shower, and so did he. In about an hour, they were supposed to meet Coleman for dinner.

"How come you don't mind it?" Shane played with the cum in his ass a bit more.

"Are you forgetting about how I'm fucking you, too?"

"Yeah, but you didn't come in me yet."

"Obviously, because this is the first time we've done it without a condom, and I didn't get the chance."

"There's a bit of me inside you," Shane said as he placed small kisses on Jared's buttocks. "And then there will be a bit of you inside me."

Jared shivered as Shane's lips moved to the small of his back and then along the spine. "Don't worry," he whispered. "We'll do it again and again until your fascination wanes."

"I don't think I'll ever be less fascinated with you," was the reply as Shane's head appeared on Jared's shoulder.

"You know you're spoiling me with these words."

"I don't care. I'll spoil you as much as I can, in any way I can."

"Cowboy promise?"

"Sure. Whatever you want, babe."

Jared allowed a moment of silence to bask in the pleasant sensation of happiness. "How are your folks, Shane?"

"A bit hard, but their hearts are bigger. They might scare you at first."

"Coleman is cool. I genuinely thought you didn't say anything to your family about being gay. I guess I just presumed that without even asking you."

"It wasn't easy. But they love me, so they wouldn't stay in the way of my happiness. My mom wants nothing else for us, boys, and she told us. That we should never give up on searching for happiness. That's why she was sure that I'd find my man once I got here."

"I'm glad I am that man. It was by chance that Mike and I went to that place where I saw you dancing the first time. Also, I'm really lucky you were single."

"I don't think it's luck. You looked at me while I danced, and I felt your eyes on me."

"Hmm, my laser gaze. I have to warn you, it was a pretty objectifying gaze. I thought you were so sexy."

"Of course I'm sexy. But I sensed right away that you were looking at me differently. The only thing I had to do was to find a way to talk to you."

"So you made me spill my drink on me."

"It had worked before," Shane said with a low drawl.

"With girls?"

"With girls," Shane admitted. "I had to have my practice somewhere, right?"

"And none of those girls threw a glass of beer in your face?"

"What can I say? I don't pretend it's a foolproof method. Sometimes it works. It worked this time, so all for the best, right?"

Jared laughed freely. "I was so pissed. Mike tried to tell me you were into me, but my head wasn't in the right place."

"Mine was," Shane bragged.

"Sure thing, virgin boy," Jared teased in turn. "By the way, you were an awesome lover from the start. I feel bad about the girls you left behind. They must have loved you."

"They got over me," Shane promised. "And I frankly didn't know what was about it all that didn't make me, you know, how they say, feel butterflies in the stomach and all that. But I felt it with you, right from the start. I was surprised that you wanted me so fast."

"I just wanted to wash away the bad taste in my mouth about that thing -"

"With that guy whose name we won't speak," Shane said quickly.

Jared tried to turn his head to look at him. "Are you jealous, Shane? There's no need."

"I'm jealous of all the guys you've ever been with."

"Should I be jealous of all the girls you've been with?"

Shane seemed to ponder over that. "What's fair is fair."

Jared struggled to turn and embrace his lover. "Of our group, I was the one who wanted a relationship and happy-ever-afters the most. Mike was too shy to admit it, I think, and Adrian was just licking all wounds, but I was out and proud about wanting a boyfriend. It's funny how I got him after I gave up. While Mike and Adrian fell in love. Life's a bit strange, isn't it?"

"But it's beautiful," Shane said.

Jared nodded. "It will be some time until we'll take our vows and everything, but let me tell you something. I love you completely. I was blind, but now my eyes are wide open and I'll never close them again. So from here on out, you're the one and only."

Shane offered a smile. "Happy to hear you talking like that. I love you, too, baby."

"And I'm still not over your not telling me that you hadn't been with a guy when we first got together."

"I wanted to." A naughty grin flew briefly on Shane's lips. "But then I got scared that you might not want a virgin -"

Jared laughed and placed one hand over his boyfriend's mouth. "One as sexy as you? And you were just gay-virgin. Actually, I thought you were pretty sure of yourself."

"It was an act to get you in my bed," Shane said after pushing away Jared's hand and kissing it. "I had a plan to court you for a while."

"But I jumped you."

"I guess that solved it, yes."

"Shane, you were a pretty awesome lover from the start. How come, though?"

"My mom taught me to be a good guy, no matter what."

"Still, I'm pretty sure she didn't teach you anything about having sex with a guy."

That earned him a wholehearted laugh from Shane. "No. For that, I looked at movies and read books and stuff."

"You looked at porn to learn about it?"

Shane pretended to be offended. "No, at documentaries about sex."

"You're pulling my leg." Jared narrowed his eyes.

Shane kept a straight face but only for a couple of moments. Then he burst into laughter. "No, I looked at porn. And jacked off loads."

"Hmm," Jared purred. "So you wasted your jizz over a lot of them pretty gay porn stars, hmm?"

Shane looked guilty as charged. "But reality was much better. When you grabbed my cock and put your mouth on me, I was in heaven. Of course I didn't tell you I didn't have any experience with guys."

The phone ringed, interrupting their banter.

"It's my brother," Shane said. "I guess he'll have to wait for us for a bit. I'll blame it all on you."

Jared took one pillow and smacked Shane's head with it just as he answered the phone.

***

"How long are you staying?" Jared asked as the dessert was placed in front of them.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," Coleman replied. "But you two should saddle up quickly, 'cause the moment I tell momma Shane found himself a boy, that house will be up like fireworks on the Fourth of July."

"You should tell her not to bother. I can tell by now that I'll be impressed by the rest of your family. And I didn't want her to tire herself over me."

"You tell that to Mrs. McKay. She'll tell you that if parents don't fret over their children and their better halves, who should they fret over?"

"Prepare to go on a diet, Jared. Before and after," Shane intervened. "No matter how we look, she'll claim that we're thin as sticks and try to stuff our faces. She's a great cook, too."

Jared stared at the mini cake in front of him with a sigh. "All right. Seeing how you learned from her, she must be the absolute cooking goddess. Maybe I'll start dieting tomorrow."

Shane pinched his side, making him yelp. "I don't think you need to worry. You're skin and bones anyway."

Jared rolled his eyes. "I remember quite well you didn't complain earlier while you -" He stopped right in time and blushed. All right, so Coleman was okay with his little brother bringing home a guy, but that didn't mean that they could talk nonsense like that over dinner.

"You two are something," Coleman said with a smirk. "I remember when me and my Charlene -"

"Coleman, no," Shane said.

"What? It's not like you two don't know what sex is, right?" Coleman replied, completely nonchalant. "This is all I'm telling you. Get enough of it before kids. After that, you better get good at quickies."

In the meantime, Jared had learned that he would become the uncle of two naughty devils in the shape of girl twins, aged six. He wanted to strangle Shane for keeping so many things from him.

"Kids?" He found himself asking.

"Yeah," Coleman said like it was the most natural thing to talk about. "You'll have some, right?"

Jared threw a desperate look in Shane's direction, but it appeared that his soon-to-be husband was engrossed in his dessert and didn't care about offering any reply to his brother's question. "I suppose," he said and kicked Shane's shin surreptitiously under the table, "it's one of the many things we have to talk about."

TBC