Between Lust and Love

Back at the Altar-4

Jeremy lived near Memorial Drive and Glenwood in a two-story house. The security light was on in front. He parked his car in the driveway, we exited, and he unlocked the front door, hand at my back to gently push me inside.

There was a small foyer where we left our shoes. I followed him into the living room and he turned on the light. It wasn’t too bright, thankfully.

“Come with me into the kitchen,” he said. “Let’s clean you up.”

I followed him past the loveseat and futon into the kitchen area. He stopped by the sink and asked me to sit at the table.

“You have some dirt on your face and some scratches on your left cheek.”

After wetting a washcloth, Jeremy gently held me by the chin and tenderly wiped away the dirt, cleaning out the grit that had buried itself in some of the scratches. By the time he was done, my face ached.

“Sit there a minute. I’ll be right back.”

Happy to oblige, I leaned back against the chair and closed my eyes, willing the throbbing to go away.

“Here you go, hon.”

He had brought me some salve for the scratches. Leaving me to apply it, he searched the cabinets for a bottle of Tylenol, poured a glass of water, and handed them both to me. Kneeling beside my chair, Jeremy took my hand.

“I know your face must be throbbing. I hope I didn’t hurt you too badly when I was cleaning you up. The scratches will probably fade in a few days. You’ll still be handsome as sin, though, don’t worry.” He gave me a sly grin.

“You wait until I’m in pain to hit on me? Classy, dude,” I said, trying to smile and wincing with the effort.

“Hey, I have to take my chances when I get ‘em. You didn’t take me up on the offer of coming over to my house for the book club thing a few years ago, so I had to bide my time and find another way. Your having a boyfriend didn’t help, either, though I’m sorry you had a bad breakup. Well, not that sorry. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t plan on getting gay-bashed, but I’ll take what I can get.” He winked at me.

“You’re incorrigible. Wait, you still remember that night? It was almost four years ago!”

“What can I say? I have it bad.”

Placing my hand against his upturned cheek, I told him, “Thanks for taking such good care of me.” I leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. Sighing, I leaned back and said, “Where the hell did those guys come from anyway? Were we that loaded that we didn’t hear them coming?”

Rubbing his hand on my thigh, Jeremy said, “I think it was just some guys cruising for trouble, and we were easy marks, I guess. I don’t go bar-hopping much anymore, so I forget there can be idiots like that trolling around. I just needed to get out of the house tonight, and now I’m really glad I did.” Rising to his feet, Jeremy brushed his hand over my hair and asked, “How about something hot to drink? Maybe tea or coffee? Hot chocolate?”

“Tea would be great, thank you.”

What was it about Jeremy that made me feel so at ease in his presence? He came on strong, yes, but he was gentle and truly didn’t push if you didn’t want him to. It was also nice being cared for. I’d missed that. Hunter had cared, in his own way, but it had always been about the s*x. Anyway, I needed to forget about him.

“How long have you lived here?” I asked, watching him pour water into the kettle and place it on the stove.

“Oh, uh, five years, maybe? I moved in right after I completed my Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics at UGA. I had promised myself a house if I made it all the way through the program. So here I am.”

As soon as the water started boiling, Jeremy turned off the stove and poured out two cups for both of us. He pulled out a box with a variety of tea bags from another cabinet and placed everything on the table along with honey and sugar, then took a seat.

I chose mint and added honey to my tea. “Wow, that’s really cool. Do you teach at Georgia Tech?” I asked, blowing on the hot liquid and taking a sip.

Choosing a teabag for himself, he said, “No, I actually teach at Atlanta Metropolitan State College. I like it. The students vary in age and come from different walks of life. Keeps things interesting.”

“I bet. I like being an accountant. I just don’t like the stress. Wears me out.”

“What do you do for a hobby? You need to do something to unwind. What about singing in a band part time, or something like that? You’re really good.”

“Thanks for that, but I’d have to change my job to something less demanding to be able to accommodate a band. I work late all the time.”

“Maybe it’s time to make a change. Life’s too short to be stressed out all the time. And you’re much too pretty to have frown lines and bags under your eyes.” He grinned at me.

Chuckling, I rolled my eyes. “Do you ever stop?”

“I will if you really want me to, but you haven’t said no yet.” He blew me a kiss over the cup of tea in his hands.

Finishing my tea, I placed the cup on the table. “My face is feeling better now. I think I should call a cab and get home. I have to go to work tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you stay here? I promise to keep my hands to myself. You can sleep on the futon in the living room. I think we’re the about the same size, so you can borrow some of my clothes. Get them back to me whenever. Or you can keep them to remember me by.” He gave me a devilish grin.

I smirked at him. “You’re doing this out of the goodness of your heart, right? What’s the catch?”

He held up his hands in a gesture of innocence. “No catch, I swear! I just want you to feel at home here. Really.”

After studying his face for a moment, I saw that beneath all the banter and innuendo, he was sincere. I acquiesced. “Thanks, Jeremy. I’ll take you up on that offer, but I owe you, okay? Maybe dinner next weekend?”

“You won’t have to ask me twice.” He smiled his acceptance.

“Great, it’s a date. Come on, I’m worn out. Take me to bed.” Realizing what I said by the lustful expression on this face, I amended, “For sleeping, only.”

Sighing heavily, Jeremy walked dejectedly toward the futon.

“Stop it. I know you’re just pretending.”

He smiled. “See? You know me so well already. We’re gonna get along just fine.”

Jeremy pulled the futon away from the wall and opened it into a bed. He removed the cushions, and told me he would be right back with the bedding. Returning a few moments later with sheets and pillows, he helped me make up the bed then showed me where the towels were located, as well as the bathroom and extra toothbrushes in the cabinet over the sink.

“Thanks, sweetie. You’ve been so kind to me.” I kissed his cheek. When I started to move away, he held my chin gently and kissed me softly. Then he kissed my forehead, patted my ass, and wished me a good night. “Good night,” I replied.

I found everything I needed for my shower and prepared for bed. A little while later, I sat on the futon in my underwear and set the alarm on my cell phone for the morning. I noticed that Jeremy had placed the bottle of Tylenol and another glass of water on the table beside the futon while I was in the shower. Such a sweet, sweet man.

Lying down on the bed, I pulled the sheets up to my chin and closed my eyes, willing myself to sleep. A few hours later, I woke up and had to pee. I got up and was heading to the bathroom when I heard a low noise, almost a grunt. Jeremy’s bedroom was just down the hall, and his door was slightly open. It didn’t sound alarming, so I went to do my business. After relieving my bladder, I tiptoed and stood outside his door, listening for the sound I had heard. Or maybe I just wanted to spy on him sleeping. There it was again! It sounded more like a moan now.

What on earth? Is he dreaming? Having a nightmare?

Concerned, I peeked around the door and with the aid of the moonlight coming through his bedroom window, I saw him lying on his back, eyes closed, bed sheets at his waist, and the shadow of something moving in a steady rhythm underneath. I immediately pulled back and leaned against the doorjamb outside his room.

God, that’s hot! I wonder who he’s dreaming about.

As I stood there, trying to control my breathing, I heard him cry out, “f**k, Cole, f**k!” Shocked, I again peeked around the door and saw his back arch, his head fall back against the pillow, mouth open and fist pumping as his orgasm took him over completely. I had seen enough. Moving quickly, I pulled back and returned to my futon, willing my body to behave.

My body didn’t want to behave, though, because my c**k was trying to poke a hole in my underwear. Giving in, I reached into my briefs and stroked my d**k, using the fluid that had gathered at the tip to make things slicker. I massaged my balls, spitting into my hand to increase the slippery glide.

Man, Jeremy’s hot! Jesus, I wish I was in there with him right now. I would have sucked him off or f****d him raw, anything he wanted. Then he would do the same thing to me and it would be heaven.

Those thoughts were just enough to make me come with a shout I quickly muffled in one of the pillows beside me. Christ, we haven’t even had our date yet! I got up and went to the bathroom to clean up. When I laid down again, I fell asleep in an instant.