STORY EXCERPT

At the till, the check-out girl barely looked at them, scanning the items through and chewing noisily on gum that smelled of chemicals and strawberries and made Jacques want to throw up. He stared at her in disgust until she looked up and scowled at him.

“What?” she snapped.

“Is that any manner in which to speak to a customer?” Jacques said, frowning at her.

“Huh?” She looked confused and annoyed, and before he could say anything else, Toby held up a hand and shook his head.

“Just pay the nice lady and keep your mouth shut.”

“I have yet to see a nice lady in this store,” Jacques muttered but did as the boy asked nonetheless. If it meant getting home quickly, he was happy to oblige. The girl stuck her tongue out at him as she handed him his receipt, and Jacques narrowed his eyes at her. “Do that again. I dare you,” he whispered menacingly. She blanched and looked away quickly, and he snorted at her. Toby reached out toward him, an expression of annoyance on his face, and Jacques twisted away, hissing at him.

“Sorry. God,” Toby exclaimed, still looking annoyed but unable to hide the hurt and frustration in his eyes. Jacques couldn’t help his regret, but he hid it behind a scowl. “I thought you wanted to get out of here.”

“I do.”

“So stop trying to get us into trouble.”

Jacques picked up the bags and started for the exit. “Me? You are the one who keeps on trying to touch me.”

“Well, maybe you should stop being such an asshole then.”

Jacques couldn’t quite help a chuckle at that, and Toby looked over at him in surprise. Then he smiled, and it lit up beautiful, dark eyes in a way that made Jacques want to reach out, touch his cheek, draw him into a kiss…no! He clamped down on his desire ruthlessly and turned toward the approaching guard.

“Your car is safe, sir.”

“Thank you.” Jacques managed a smile and gave him another hundred dollars with a nod.

“Thank you, sir.”

Opening the car, he put the shopping in the back and slid in behind the wheel, waiting for Toby to get in the other side.

“Last chance to change your mind, Toby,” he said, forcing himself to try one last time to get the boy to leave before he lost his sanity completely.

“Never,” Toby whispered, shaking his head and staring at him with tears in his eyes. “You promised me a week, Jacques, just give me that much at least.”

“Really?”

“Really, I want—I just want to be with you, okay?”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?” Toby asked, frowning at him.

“If you think that I am an asshole, why do you still want me?” he asked quietly, starting the engine and pulling out of the lot onto the road.

“Because I l—” Toby stopped very abruptly, biting his lip and going bright red.

Jacques frowned. “Because you what?”

“Because I, because I know that isn’t all there is to you, okay? Because I know you, and because you’re so fucking beautiful it hurts just to look at you.”

Jacques felt his stomach drop, and he shook his head, twisting his mouth bitterly, remembering what he’d told himself earlier that day. The boy wanted him for what he could do for him, and Toby had just made his point for him. Beautiful indeed, how on earth did the boy think he was going to get away with a lie like that?

“Jacques?” Toby said, looking worried. Jacques snorted and glared at him briefly before returning his eyes to the road. “Jacques, what?”

“You insist that you know me, so you should know to keep your mouth shut right now,” he snapped. Toby’s cheeks reddened, and he crossed his arms over his chest, staring sullenly at him.

“What?” Jacques said sharply.

“What? You’re asking me what? When you’re moodier than a woman with PMS,” Toby said, gesturing angrily. “I tell you the truth, and suddenly you’re mad at me again. I can’t keep up.”

“The truth,” Jacques said with another snort.

“What does that mean?”

“It means you want what I can give you, not me, Toby.”

“Oh my God!” Toby exclaimed. “Fine, whatever, if that’s the story you need to tell yourself to try and keep me at arm’s length go ahead, but why the hell do you even care? You’re the one who keeps saying that you don’t want me.”

Jacques didn’t reply, he couldn’t, couldn’t quite manage a convincing lie because apparently, not only did he want the cub, but he most certainly did care whether or not Toby was using him.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Please,” Toby whispered. “I’ve never held hands at the movies.”

“You think I have?” Jacques said with a snort.

“I’ve never been on a date, Jacques,” Toby said with a sigh. “Because of you, so please, just let me enjoy this once before…” His face fell, and he looked away.

“Very well,” Jacques said, squeezing the boy’s hand. It wasn’t as though he’d ever been on a date or held hands at the movies either. Just this once couldn’t hurt. Then he frowned. “Because of me?”

“It’s always been you,” Toby said with a shrug, glancing at him briefly before focusing on the screen.

Jacques frowned. “Toby—”

“Can we talk about this later?” Toby asked quietly. “Please, just watch the film with me.”

“Fine.” Biting his lip, Jacques didn’t push for an answer, just settled back to enjoy the movie in company for almost the first time in his life. It didn’t take him long to settle into the story, and he relaxed, enjoying himself as he explained bits to the cub when he knew Toby was struggling with the French.

They shifted closer and closer together. The warmth and scent of the boy made him feel good, and he couldn’t bring himself to pull away, even when Toby put his head on his shoulder. He turned his head and inhaled surreptitiously, letting his eyes close for a moment as the soft sandalwood seemed to fill him more than just desire. It swept through him, tightening every muscle, tightening his throat with emotions he refused to identify, and he pulled back, just a little, focusing on the screen instead.

Toby sighed softly and tugged him closer again, stroking his arm gently. Jacques didn’t move again and eventually found himself relaxing back into the story. It really was a very funny film, and he laughed long and loud at one of his favorite moments, barely noticing the boy lift his head and straighten up. He turned to explain what had happened on screen then stopped, swallowing hard.

Toby’s eyes were wide and dark with barely restrained heat and lust, his soft, full lips just parted as he breathed heavily. The boy leaned forward, and Jacques found himself leaning in to meet him almost against his will. Gentle hands cupped his face.

“So beautiful when you laugh, Jacques,” Toby whispered then kissed him. “So fucking sexy.” Toby kissed him again, harder, lips parting over his, tongue swiping over his mouth and coaxing his lips apart. Jacques gave in with a groan, opening to the boy, kissing him back so he could taste the sweetness of his mouth. Heat rippled through his body. The need he’d been denying since Toby had appeared in his life took over before he could control it, and he hauled the smaller man sideways into his lap, cradling him in his arms as he sought out every nuance of flavor in his warm mouth.

Toby moaned quietly, hands sliding from his face to his shoulders, clutching him close, his hip digging into Jacques’s growing erection. He could smell the arousal in the cub and feel his need and determination, and he was helpless against it, couldn’t find it in himself to resist. How did this cub affect him so? He needed to taste more and feel more, the scent of him and the sound of the boy’s quiet whimpers into his mouth. It was almost more than he could bear. Sliding one hand down Toby’s back, he pushed up the boy’s T-shirt so he could feel heated skin. His other hand made its way slowly up the inside of Toby’s thigh, his fingertips running along the inseam.

Toby gasped against his lips and jerked his hips toward his hand, and Jacques put his palm over the bulge in the boy’s pants, squeezing gently.

“Please,” Toby whispered, between hot, breathy, sucking kisses. “Please, Jacques.”

There was nothing he could do but unbutton and unzip the cub’s jeans and slip his hand into his underwear. They gasped together at his first touch of silky, hot cock, and Toby kissed him harder again, probing deeply into his mouth as Jacques wrapped his fingers round the slender length and stroked. His own erection was straining, throbbing against the pressure of Toby’s hip against his groin, and Jacques moved his hand from the boy’s back to his hip to rock him into his body, kissing back eagerly.

It was more than he’d ever felt before, more intense, more hot—he’d never experienced this before. Even sinking his cock into a warm, willing body, fucking a partner hard and fast had never felt as good as this. He should stop it. He should push Toby away, stop the boy before it was too late, but he just couldn’t deny how much he wanted him.

As he jacked Toby’s cock harder and faster, rocking the boy against his aching dick at the same time, Toby pulled back, whining needily, his head dropping back against Jacques’s shoulder as he pushed his feet into the chair he’d been sitting in and thrust urgently into his fist.