Rupert didn’t strike Jodi as a man who made rash decisions. Perhaps it was the rum, but it wasn’t long before he abandoned his plans to leave and followed Jodi to his bedroom. He stared at the minimalist decor and neatly ordered shelves that contained nothing but alphabetised DVDs.
“Jesus. It’s like an IKEA showroom in here. Where’s all your stuff?”
“Where it should be. I can’t sleep in clutter,” Jodi said. “It’s gotta be neat, or I lose my fucking marbles. Do you want something to sleep in?”
Rupert shot Jodi a smirk that made it clear he thought it was too late for Jodi to be worrying about his sanity. “I’ve got about a foot on you. I reckon your skids are gonna look pretty bloody daft on me. How about I sleep in my T-shirt and boxers?”
Getting Rupert out of his jeans was all kinds of okay with Jodi, but he silenced the horny devil dancing in the back of his mind.He’s new to this, remember?“Fine by me, mate. Wanna pick a DVD?”
He gestured to the categorised collections at the end of the bed, then turned his back to change his clothes, leaving Rupert to ditch his jeans and socks in peace. When he looked again, Rupert was crouched by the shelf, in his boxers, as promised, running a finger along the titles. “You like epics, eh?Last of the Mohicans,Braveheart,The Last Samurai.”
“I don’t likeThe Last Samurai.” Jodi crawled onto the bed in a pair of worn tracksuit bottoms and stretched out on his stomach to peer at Rupert’s selection. “Tom Cruise is a dick.”
“I know. It’s a shame. The film would be awesome without him. What aboutGladiator? I’ve never seen it all the way through.”
Jodi nodded. “Russell Crowe and Djimon Hounsou? Sold.”
Rupert slipped the disk into the DVD player, then joined Jodi on the bed. In spite of his hesitance earlier, he seemed at ease now, and Jodi was glad of it. Seeing Rupert mirror the contentment in his own soul was beautiful. Like Rupert.
Jodi scooted back and held up the duvet. “Get in, mate. I don’t bite.”
“Never mind, eh?” Rupert smirked, warm and wonderful.
They wriggled under the covers. Jodi turned off the lamp, and the TV came to life, bathing the room in blue light. He lay back. Rupert did the same, and it felt so familiar Jodi almost cried. Huh. Perhaps it washimwho’d been craving the company of a man—real company ... companionship, not just a bedmate to roll around with, then kick to the kerb before the sun rose.
The film opened with the Germanic battle scene. Rupert rolled onto his side, facing Jodi. “I’ve seen this bit and the end. It’s the middle I keep missing. I’ve never quite worked out how Maximus gets to Rome.”
Jodi mirrored Rupert. “The buildup to that is the best part. It’s all a bit melodramatic after he takes his mask off.”
Rupert looked mystified. Jodi made a mental note to divert his attention back to the film by the time Maximus was bought by Proximo. He opened his mouth to ask Rupert what he wanted for breakfast in the morning, but Rupert’s hand on his face silenced him. The touch was light, just his palm on Jodi’s cheek, but Jodi was mesmerised.
“Thanks for this.” Rupert smiled shyly, like he had no idea of the effect he was having on Jodi. “It sounds strange, but being with you makes me feel so much better about myself, about everything. I feel normal.”
Most folk would probably reckon there was nothing normal about spending the night in the bed of a man you hardly knew, but it made sense to Jodi. “I’m glad you’re comfortable here. For what it’s worth, I don’t find you strange at all.”
Rupert dragged his palm softly down Jodi’s cheek, brushing his scruffy jaw with his fingertips. He hesitated at Jodi’s neck, before continuing his gentle exploration, drawing invisible pictures on Jodi’s bare chest.
Jodi sucked in a subtle breath. The sensation of Rupert’s fingers was maddening, reminding him how caught he was between his charged attraction to Rupert and the very real desire to be his friend. Dressed and drinking on the couch, the distinction had been clear, but huddled up in bed, face-to-face, toes touching, it was hard to ignore the urge to put his lips on Rupert.
It turned out not to matter, because, as had become their routine, Rupert kissed him first. The kiss was gentle and sweet, a brush of a kiss like the ghost of a feather. A ghost that sent Jodi reeling, had him gasping for air and desperate for more. He let Rupert draw him closer, and they kissed again, harder this time, reigniting the fervour of the night they’d met, but instead of the crazy heat of before, a slow, smouldering burn began, like they both knew there was no need to rush, that they had all the time in the world to stoke this fire.
Rupert pushed his tongue into Jodi’s mouth, teasing and dancing, like a cat with a string, andnothinglike a man who was new to the art of snogging blokes. He put his hands on Jodi’s chest, palms flat at first, until his devilish fingers went to work on Jodi’s nipples.
Jodi broke away with a low groan. “Fuck yeah. I like that.”
“Yeah? I’m not hurting you?”
“You are, but I like it. Do it harder.”
“Like this?”
“More.”
Rupert tightened his grip, twisting until the stinging pain became almost too pleasurable to bear. He watched Jodi gasp and writhe with a curious gaze. Jodi took the hint and returned the favour, lightly, testing the waters.
But there was no need for caution. Rupert’s eyes rolled the moment Jodi pinched the sensitive flesh, and his gravelly moan went straight to Jodi’s cock. “God, I see what you mean.”
“Good, eh?” Jodi squeezed a little harder, studying every facet of expression on Rupert’s beautiful face. “It goes well with a fuck-hot blowjob too.”
