Good Guys Don't Date Bad Boys – Ch. 39
By Laura S. Fox
Copyright © 2022 Laura S. Fox
All Rights Reserved
Gay Erotica
Intended for Mature Audiences Only
This story will contain graphic depictions of sexual intercourse, strong
language and it is not meant for readers who are less than 18 years of age.
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Chapter Thirty-Nine – No
Escape
Avoiding Maddox was easy,
as everyone was caught in the flurry of nervous excitement caused by finals.
Jonathan had a feeling that Maddox was giving him space, which he very much
appreciated. They exchanged a few polite words when they happened to meet
around campus, but there was a tacit understanding between them that they had
to let the exams pass so that they could talk about themselves and their
relationship. That only made Jonathan fall even more madly in love with Maddox,
as it proved he had a big heart and also understood where they were.
Of course, Maddox was
wrong, and Jonathan couldn't let him know the real reason why he wasn't running
to him, crazy enough to kiss him in front of the entire school once more, and
swear to him that he would never lie again, not even by omission. The letter he
had written to Maddox during his weekend away had suffered a few amendments
based on that decision, and Jonathan could only hope that it would make things
easier once everything blew over.
He held absolutely no
hopes that Xpress would honor the deal of not releasing the video. Whoever was
behind that awful publication was only giving him the necessary breather to run
away before the storm arrived. Jonathan wasn't sure if
he was grateful for that.
"Do you think it's worth working
yourself to the bone just so that you ace them all?"
The question took him by
surprise, and not only that, the person uttering the words, most of all.
"Connor," he said stiffly
and adjusted the shoulder strap of his bag. He was moving between buildings and
wouldn't say that he wished for any kind of company, let alone Connor's
company. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk to me at all."
Connor seemed genuinely
surprised by his blunt rejection. He frowned and began walking by his side,
even if uninvited. "No offense, Jonathan, but you look like shit. There are
such things as breaks, you know? The reason why I stopped to talk to you is
because we exchanged some words the last time--"
Jonathan felt his fingers
tremble. "Don't worry about a thing, Connor. I meant those words, and I have no
intention of taking them back. So, if you think I'm going to apologize, think
again."
"You're very difficult to
talk to these days. Rumor has it that Maddox wants to get back with you. Your
academic performance is above anyone else's, and it looks like everyone is on
your side. That incident with Rusty is already water under the bridge. So,
what's eating you?"
Jonathan couldn't believe
the guy's audacity to taunt him like that. He grabbed Connor by the front of
his shirt, making the guy yelp. Then, he stared him in the face. "Funny that
you're the person asking me that," he said through his teeth.
Connor's frown deepened
and he put his hands on Jonathan's wrists, struggling to get away from him.
"You're acting really strange. I'm just worried a bit about you, is all."
"Worried?" Jonathan now trembled
from head to toes, and it took him everything he had not to shake Connor and
make him repent for every lie he had published in Xpress probably since the
moment he had set foot on Sunny Hill grounds. "You, worried about me?"
Connor was leaning back
now, in poorly concealed fear. He looked like he was afraid that he would get a
punch in the face. Jonathan hadn't thought him to be such a coward. He pushed
him away in disgust. "Don't worry, Connor. Your blackmail holds."
"What? What blackmail?"
Connor's confused question followed him as he walked away.
The nerve of the guy.
There was no point in confronting him over the video; he would deny everything
like last time, and he seemed to be quite the actor. And as much as he wanted
to give Connor a piece of his mind, it would only make the situation worse. At
least as things allegedly stood now, he was supposed to have until the end of
the week to make a run for it.
Tic-toc,
tic-toc, Hamilton. Keep that pretty head low. We have such itchy fingers, you
know? Gosh, such a tasty piece of gossip, and we just decided to be
magnanimous. Is our speech fine enough for the likes of you? Play nice, and
we'll play nice, too.
Jonathan gritted his
teeth. A part of him wanted to smash the phone against the sidewalk, just so
that he could breathe. He looked over his shoulder to see if Connor really had
the nerve to send him a message so quickly after their encounter. Connor was
nowhere in sight, and Jonathan tried to call the unknown number again, in hope
that his tormentor would be stupid enough to pick up.
No such luck, of course.
***
"Why aren't you and
Jonathan back together?" Rusty asked.
Dex and Kane stopped for
a moment to raise their heads, but then, they pretended to continue studying,
although Maddox could swear that their ears were perked up and ready to receive
an explanation.
"It's finals week, duh,"
Maddox pointed out. "Jonathan told me that we would talk later, so I'm giving
him space."
Rusty pursed his lips and
twiddled his thumbs, as he slouched on the sofa, his hands linked over his
stomach. "That's way too much space," he eventually said.
"Yeah," Dex seconded.
"Ditto," Kane added.
Maddox groaned. "C'mon,
guys, he's not going to take a break from studying right now just so that we
can get back together. I can wait. And I need to show him that I can wait."
"Something's fishy,"
Rusty declared. "Last week, Jonathan was about to fall on his knees and beg you
to get back together."
"Yeah, but well, I waited
too long to apologize," Maddox said and pulled at his collar. "All right, I was
an ass. It's normal that he's a little upset with me. And we have finals! Maybe
we all mooch on our families for money, but he has to keep that scholarship.
It's not an option for him." He hoped his exasperation sounded genuine enough.
He was only a little short of plucking daisies and playing `he loves me, he
loves me not'.
"Nope, nope, nope," Rusty
said and shook his head vigorously. "Jonathan's got it bad for you since day
one, and it's not like him to change his mind."
"You sure?" Maddox asked
and rolled his eyes.
"I made him say out loud
that he's in love with you," Rusty said promptly. "That's not a guy who goes
back on his words a week or so into the future."
"Wait, wait, wait," Kane
intervened, "let's roll back a little. When did you force Jonathan to admit his
feelings for Maddox, Rusty?"
Rusty lolled his head to
one side and then threw Kane a funny stare.
"It had to have been during
the `incident'," Dex hopped on board with an explanation while hooking his
fingers in the air as he said the last word.
"That must have been what
gave Jonathan the courage to write that note," Kane said brightly.
"What note?" Dex asked.
"What did it say in the
note?" Rusty asked.
His friends had different
pieces of information about where his love life stood. He groaned loudly again.
"Jonathan left a note in a book in my room, telling me he loved me, and that's
all," he said quickly. "Is everyone now up to speed? What's next? Should we
start braiding each other's hair?"
Dex snorted, Kane rolled
his eyes, but Rusty ran his hands through his tousled strands. "Do you think
I'd look good in braids?"
"No," Maddox said with a
scowl. "You'd look like an idiot."
Rusty appeared to be
completely unfazed by his words and turned toward their other two friends. "Any
second opinions?"
Dex smirked and said
nothing. Kane leaned back in his chair and observed Rusty through his eyelashes.
"Braids are not important. What could be fishy, Rusty?"
"Finally, someone asks,"
Rusty said and threw his arms in the air. "I don't know, though," he added and
let his arms drop in disappointment at himself. "I mean, Jonathan should be
here, sitting in Maddox's lap with them making doe eyes at each other until
someone tells them to get a room. And Maddox's room is upstairs, so they'd only
have to--"
"We get the picture," Dex
interrupted him. "Rusty has a point. Something's not right about Jonathan not
wanting to rush back into your arms like a fairytale princess."
"Prince," Rusty corrected
him.
"Prince," Dex admitted
his error.
"He's just upset, and
he's right," Maddox insisted, even though he didn't like how petulant he
sounded. The fact that Jonathan was still keeping his distance was irking him
to no end. All right, they couldn't just hop in bed again and fuck each other
silly, but they could hold hands and share kisses.
It was painful how well
he remembered Jonathan's last kiss. At the time, he hadn't even paid too much
attention like someone would who was used to always ordering the tastiest
desserts on the menu and then only taking a bite, but now it felt like such a
precious experience that he carried in his heart and mind like nothing else.
His friends would laugh
if they knew what he was thinking, how romantic he had gotten all of a sudden.
Kane narrowed his eyes, Dex quirked an eyebrow, and Rusty leaned forward with a
grin. "What?" he asked, all his alarm sensors tingling.
"You looked a little bit
weird just now," Dex said. `Weird' was, probably, a tactful word in Dex's vocabulary.
"Weird like how?"
"Like a fair maiden left
at the altar," Kane added and laughed at his own stupid joke.
"Like you miss him a
lot," Rusty added, the most delicate of all his three friends, much to his
surprise. But Rusty, being Rusty, couldn't stop there. He gave Maddox a long
and intent once-over. "When did you guys fuck last?"
Maddox pursed his lips,
frowned, and made a gesture with his hands as if he would get a lot of
satisfaction if he could just wring Rusty's neck. Instead of that, he tortured
nothing but the empty air that, luckily, couldn't feel a thing.
"Finals are not going to
take forever," Kane pointed out. "Wait it out. I doubt Jonathan's going to have
a change of heart."
Well, he was worried
about that, actually; there was a possibility that Jonathan had already had
that change of heart. But no, it couldn't be because one look from him was
enough to tell him that the feelings they felt toward one another were still
mutual. Their eyes said everything. The polite words they exchanged, not so
much.
Kane was right, and it
only strengthened his hopes. At the end of the week, he would get Jonathan
alone, and then they would have that meaningful talk that would end up with
them in the same bed, doing all those things he missed doing – yeah, Rusty, you crazy mofo,
you're right.
"Still, something's
fishy," Rusty intervened once more.
"If you can't say what
is, then just go grab a book or something," Kane advised him.
Rusty took advantage that
Kane seemed already absorbed by his textbooks and started making faces. A
crumpled piece of paper hit him in the face. Apparently, he had missed that Dex
was looking straight at him.
Maddox sighed and turned
toward his own study materials. Because of the excellent project with Jonathan
for Statistics, his situation had already gone through an improvement this
semester. Just one of the many things he had to be grateful for since having
Jonathan.
***
Ray was barring the way,
which, for certain, was a problem.
"Ray," Jonathan started
meekly.
"Are you running away,
JJ? We've barely finished our finals."
He sighed and looked
away. The luggage in his hand was a dead giveaway, and Ray eyed it with unease.
"Where are you even going
to go?" Ray continued.
"Home. My parents seemed
willing to," he stopped for a short sigh, "take me back the last time we spoke.
Until I figure out what to do next, I can only say that I won't be homeless."
Ray's face transformed as
he talked, from surprise to a frown and then to a bit of a puzzled expression.
"What you're going to do next is that you will come back and be my roommate
again. You didn't do anything rash and inform anyone official that you're not
coming back, right?"
"No, not yet. That's
something else I need to figure out how to do without appearing like an
ungrateful brat. After all, the people here have always been nice to me."
"Except that piece of
garbage, Xpress," Ray mumbled. "I'm working on my plan, you know? The one that
will make sure that you're not going to be treated here like you were at your
old school."
Jonathan's heart filled
with fondness at Ray's words. "You wouldn't be my bestie otherwise." He rubbed
his forehead with his free hand. "But I don't know if I have the strength, Ray.
And Maddox will become embarrassed about me, too."
"Is that a lie you tell
yourself on a daily basis, or something? Maddox will never be like that with
you. Just jealous, fine, but that's another good sign. He really cares about
you."
He hadn't let Ray know of
Maddox's confession. If he did, he had a feeling that Ray would resort to
something crazy, like tying him to a chair and forbidding him from leaving
completely.
"I know he does. But
things like this can take a toll on anyone. Drew, as insensitive as he was when
the video went, let's say, locally viral," he explained with a grimace, "he got
into a few fights with some of our fellow students." He said the last words
painfully.
"So, he didn't release
the video?" Ray asked and frowned a bit. "But I thought--"
"I'm sorry. I didn't
realize that it would be misinterpreted like that. He was just negligent,
leaving his phone around, unlocked and all. Someone else must have done it, and
while he saved his skin and threw me to the wolves, at least of that I'm sure.
It wasn't at all in his interest, either, to have a video of him getting high
all over the place."
"He didn't care about the
other thing, naturally," Ray said with obvious pique.
"No, he didn't. Always
looking out for number one, Drew," Jonathan admitted. "Look, I'll send you my
parents' address. I don't intend to become a stranger, not after I found a
friend as amazing as you are."
"Bestie," Ray corrected
him. "Best friend. Hug?"
Jonathan couldn't say
`no' to that. Ray squeezed him tightly. "I forgive you for running away, but
only for now. As soon as my plan is in place, I'll drag you back from the
castle you live in."
"It's not a castle, Ray."
"Whatever. I'd fight a
dragon to get you, though. Don't you forget that."
Even if it was only fun
banter between friends, Jonathan felt a couple of tears stinging his eyes as he
held Ray close for a moment. "I never will," he promised and walked out the
door.
***
He was almost off the campus
grounds when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder, forcing him to stop.
"Hamilton, where do you think you're going?"
Jonathan let out a long
sigh but turned to face the guy anyway. "Rusty," he said and shook his head. "I
thought you weren't talking to me for some reason."
Rusty's face lit up with
a goofy grin, completely in contrast with his booming voice from earlier. "The
sweater incident was a bit too much. And I didn't want Maddox to think that I'm
wooing you or something. Is that right? To say `wooing'?"
Jonathan rolled his eyes.
"You two are getting along just fine now, right? I doubt he'd still be jealous
of you."
"You don't know him. He's
a monster," Rusty declared theatrically. "He even made me study."
"Oh, the pain, the
horror," Jonathan commented, a bit amused.
"But we're done with all that,"
Rusty said cheerfully. "So, where are you going?" He looked at the luggage in
Jonathan's hand just as Ray had earlier.
"I'm going to talk to my
parents. They won't be so cold-hearted as not to put me up for Christmas."
"Hmm," Rusty commented
and put one fist under his chin. "But Maddox wants you home with him for
Christmas."
"He does?" Jonathan
asked. He still had a letter to deliver, and his plans included a short meeting
with Maddox, only not right now. He wasn't sure he could face him and not crumble
to pieces.
"He told me that his mom
said so."
"Oh," Jonathan managed
with some difficulty. "But I thought that his parents, you know, were not very
fond... I'm sorry. I don't know how much Maddox shares with you."
"Everything," Rusty said
emphatically. "His mom said that at least before Christmas, he should bring you
for a day or two."
That actually solved his
problem of seeing Maddox one last time and making an attempt at what he hoped
would be a clean break without anyone being hurt too much. "Do you happen to
have Maddox's address?" he asked.
Rusty snorted. "Of
course. Are you going to see him?"
"Yes. Before Christmas.
But... just don't tell him. I want it to be a surprise." He even forced himself
to smile, just to throw Rusty off. More like he didn't want to get Maddox's
hopes high for no reason. He had seen plenty of those puppy stares during the
week to know that it wouldn't be easy.
"Okay. Sending it to you
right now," Rusty said and pulled out his phone.
***
"I can't believe that he
left like that. He knew how much I wanted to... Ah, whatever. He'll get an earful
when we get back to campus after winter break," Maddox said and opened the
fridge for no particular reason. "I'm not going to beg him over the phone."
Kane sounded sympathetic
at the other end. "Make sure to tame this one, Maddox. Jonathan surely likes
getting away a lot."
"Yeah, he's like a wild
horse or something. Mom is like really disappointed, though. I didn't think she
would be so upset."
"She must be uber curious about him," Kane offered. "We're on for New
Year's, though, Jonathan or not, right?"
"Yeah, totally. I
wouldn't miss it. And I'll drag Rusty there, as well."
It wouldn't be a winter
break without them celebrating together. Christmas was for family, New Year's
was for friends. And Dex's dads had already rented a
cozy mountain lodge for them to have as much fun and snow as they wanted.
His mom was in the doorway,
watching him and smiling. Maddox closed the fridge door. "Gotta go, man. I feel
a disturbance in the Force."
His mom rolled her eyes
and made a motion with her kitchen towel like she wanted to bludgeon him with
it. Maddox grinned as he slipped his phone into his back pocket. "Any errands
you want me to run?"
"No, I just thought it
was Jonathan calling. Are you sure you apologized properly?"
"Yeah, totally. He must
have made up with his parents, and that's why he hurried home like that."
His mom was looking at
him like she wasn't completely buying it. "You must have done something really
bad. You're just too lovable to leave like this on Christmas otherwise."
So, his mom was scolding
and complimenting him at the same time. But Maddox liked to think that he had
his pride, too. Well, maybe. He'd probably end up sending message after message
tonight before he went to sleep.
The doorbell chimed
cheerfully. His mom turned to go answer it, but that was as good an opportunity
as any to pretend to be helpful. "I'll get that," he said and hurried down the
hallway.
He pulled the front door wide
open, despite the snow that had started just earlier. And then, his breath
caught in his throat, and his heart started beating in its familiar rhythm
again. A couple of feet from him, at the top of the steps, half-turned from him
and looking up, several snowflakes caught in his hair, stood Jonathan.
His beautiful amber eyes
turned toward him and lit up with warmth as they landed on him. "Maddox, hi.
Rusty told me where you live. I hope I'm not inconveniencing you."
Maddox felt for a moment as
if he couldn't breathe because he was so happy. "Inconveniencing, wow. Just get
inside already." He didn't wait for Jonathan to heed the invitation and grabbed
his arm to pull him over the threshold.
Jonathan offered him a
giddy smile, and Maddox threw one cautious look down the hallway and then
kissed him on the lips. Jonathan's arms around him were familiar and strong,
and Maddox hugged him back tightly, forgetting all about his plans of trying
and failing to ignore his boyfriend.
"Ahem," someone cleared her
throat loudly.
They broke off like
guilty kids.
"Mom, this is Jonathan,"
Maddox said and rubbed the back of his head, trying hard not to blush for being
caught like that.
"Hello, Mrs. Kingsley,"
Jonathan said politely. "I promise I'm not going to disturb your Christmas preparations.
I just meant to drop by and see Maddox for a bit, and then I'll be on my way."
Maddox tensed on reflex.
So, Jonathan didn't plan on staying. Yeah, like he would let that happen.
Unless there was some life-or-death situation that required Jonathan's presence
that very moment, he would stay put.
"Nobody calls me Mrs.
Kingsley," his mom said with a small snort. "Call me Florence. And what's this
nonsense about not staying? You're invited. I'm not sure if Maddox told you."
She threw him a pointed look. "Now, come, come, everybody's dying to get to
know you."
Jonathan appeared to
hesitate for a moment, but Maddox's mom was not the kind to let people hesitate
for too long in her presence. She practically forced him to walk inside, took
his luggage and shoved it into Maddox's arms, and even, somehow, managed to help
him out of his coat.
"Sit over there," she
ordered Jonathan while pointing at the sofa in the living room and holding his
coat like it was some precious object. "I'm just going to hang this up to dry a
little, and then you'll get to meet everyone. Oh, and I'm making tea. Do you
have a favorite? I have everything."
Jonathan seemed a bit
baffled by the warm and enthusiastic welcome. "Everything's fine, Mrs. ...
Florence. Please, do not trouble yourself for my sake."
Maddox's mom smiled from
ear to ear. Then, she grabbed Maddox and pushed him up the stairs. "Put his
luggage in your room. He'll at least spend the night," she whispered to him,
while stealing glances toward the living room as if she expected Jonathan to bolt
without his coat and luggage.
"In my room?" Maddox
mumbled, astonished at his mom's rapid arrangements.
"Where else? Pumpkin,
he's even more gorgeous in person. And so polite. If I were thirty-five years
younger and had not met your father, I'd put him in my room."
"He's not into girls,
mom," Maddox protested. "You and Al, both, I swear," he groaned but allowed her
to push him further up the stairs.
"Good thing he's not.
This is how I get the most handsome son-in-law in the whole town. And the way
he speaks, so distinguished. And this coat," she commented while feeling the
fabric. "You're marrying up, Maddox."
"Mom, you're scaring me.
No one's getting married," he protested.
She stole another look
toward the living room. Did Jonathan feel weirded out already? Maddox wondered
if he could hear them whispering at the foot of the stairs.
"Not yet," she said
promptly, and this time gave him a good shove to get him to hurry.
***
He had expected to ask Maddox
outside for a bit, and then offer him an explanation that made sense, plus hand
him the letter. But it had all happened very fast, the look in Maddox's eyes of
pure happiness, the kiss in the hallway, and of course, the mom dragging him
inside and welcoming him so warmly that he couldn't just make a run for it.
Hurried steps barreled
toward the living room, startling him. In a moment, he was looking at a young
attractive girl in goth makeup. "Oh. My. Gosh," she exclaimed so loudly that
Jonathan worried that the windows rattled at the volume of her voice. "You're
Jonathan!"
He smiled and stood up from
the sofa. Then he walked toward her, his hand extended. "Yes, you guessed
right."
She didn't take his hand,
but instead flung herself into his arms, taking him by surprise. "I'm Alicia,
Maddox's older sister. You can call me Al."
"Older?" Jonathan asked.
Ah, that was right. Maddox was the youngest of all his siblings, so everyone
else was older than he was. Alicia actually looked a bit younger than Maddox,
but maybe it was how cute she was that made it easy for people to mistake her
age.
"By two years, but he's
like, totally, my twin." She seemed very excited to see him there. She
nonchalantly took his hand and then they both sat on the sofa. "Wait till
everyone sees you. You're here for Christmas? You must stay. I know it's only two
days from now, but we'll make sure you get presents, too."
"I don't want to
inconvenience you and your family--"
"What inconvenience?"
Florence walked into the room with a tray in her hands that Alicia immediately
jumped to take from her. They fussed a little while they somehow managed to
work in synch without spilling any tea. He felt like they were paying him way
too much attention, but couldn't say that he was displeased about it. The
atmosphere in that house made his lips curl in a smile even if he struggled
against it, which he didn't. "You'll at least stay until tomorrow."
Jonathan wanted to argue
and assure them that there was no need to bother for his sake.
"Maddox already put your
luggage in his room. That's where you're going to sleep tonight," Florence
continued.
Any words he wanted to
say died on his lips. This was definitely more than he had hoped for, but
wasn't he an ingrate for taking advantage of their hospitality when his plans
were...
His plans were nothing.
His eyes fell on Maddox who rushed into the room, his face all smiles. "Are you
going home for Christmas?" he asked.
"Yes."
"But you can go tomorrow,
right? Give them a call," Maddox said in the same tone as his mom, the one that
made any protests futile.
"I will, of course. Thank
you so much, Florence," he said dutifully.
Somehow, the news of his
appearance on the doorstep of the Kingsley household seemed to have traveled
fast, because the room suddenly filled with people.
***
Everyone wanted a piece
of Jonathan, Maddox thought with envy, as his siblings took turns asking his
boyfriend a myriad of questions while plying him with food. Jonathan was his
usual polite self, but Maddox could sense something else, a warmth that wasn't displayed
for just anyone. It looked like Jonathan took to his family like a duck to
water, which had to be the biggest sign that things were good between them.
When he had learned from
Ray that Jonathan was gone, he had felt a bout of helplessness for a moment.
Sure thing, he could wait until the winter break was over, but it wasn't going
to be easy to deal with the disappointment and slight desperation he was going
through.
His brothers were very
much interested in the types of Irish whiskey Jonathan had tried in his life,
particularly the most expensive ones, while his sisters were busy practically
eating out of his palm. Sure thing, the female side of the family was more
interested in their relationship, something that made Jonathan blush and become
flustered now and then.
He checked his phone for
the time. Why did it have to move so slowly when he needed it to be evening
already so that they could go to sleep? He hadn't expected his mom to be so
forthcoming, so evening meant that he would have Jonathan in his room, and, of
course, his bed.
Sophia was the only one
who wanted to pick a bone. "So, how are things with your parents?" she asked.
Maddox made a silent
gesture for her to cut it out, but it looked like she was out for blood,
because she ignored him.
"I haven't told them yet
that I'm coming," Jonathan replied. "But I want to spend this Christmas with
them."
"What made you fall out
with them?" Sophia insisted.
Jonathan seemed
uncomfortable, so Maddox decided to intervene. "Are you with the FBI, So-so?"
He chose the nickname Al gave their sister to annoy her.
Sophia narrowed her eyes
at him. "No, but I want to know the man who's bent on stealing my baby
brother."
"I'm not a baby anymore,"
Maddox moaned. Sophia had a streak of overprotectiveness in her, and he had
been at the end of that one too many times in the past. Marcus had to be a
saint indeed to put up with her.
"I am not going to steal
your brother," Jonathan said.
"You're not?" Al asked,
without hiding her shock. "But that's the whole point!"
Jonathan seemed uncertain
as to what the whole point was supposed to be.
"Maddox is totally
smitten with you," Mary, the oldest sister, intervened.
Jonathan moved his eyes
between the women, like a little rabbit caught in a trap. "Um, I... know. I mean,
same here." He ended up looking at his plate.
Maddox wanted to get rid
of certain sisters right now. He stared until he caught his mom's eyes. She
didn't need a dictionary to understand what the deal was. "Girls, you're
scaring our guest. You're just short of asking him when he and Maddox are going
to get married."
Oh, no. His mom was in on
it, too.
"How about we let them
get to know each other a little bit before that?" his dad intervened.
Maddox beamed at him. His
dad winked.
"All this food has made
me sleepy," Vern said out loud and threw Maddox a conspiratorial look. "How
about we call it a night? And the kids need their rest, too."
Maddox recognized a good
strategy when he saw one. If any of the adults mentioned the kids, it meant
that everyone else had to tone down the excitement so that they could get some
sleep. He muttered a silent `thank you' to his older brother and then waited
patiently until everyone began to get up, grabbing dishes and utensils and
heading for the kitchen, while exchanging hushed opinions. He knew exactly who
was being put through the wringer.
Jonathan said thank you
for the food and stood up. When he tried to pick up his plate, Maddox's mom
intervened promptly. "No need for that. You're our guest. When do you plan on
leaving tomorrow?"
"As early as possible,"
Jonathan replied. "And I must apologize again for dropping by unannounced."
"We were waiting for you,
so no harm done. And you can see that I run a full house. One more guest is
nothing to me. This household has seen a lot worst," she explained with a big
smile.
Maddox jumped to his
feet, hoping that he wasn't too obvious in his trying to stave off his mom's
attempts to embarrass Jonathan even more. "I'm beat," he said out loud,
feigning a yawn. "Do I get out of dish washing duty?"
"Mary's on it already. I
put new sheets and an extra pillow in your room. Make sure Jonathan's
comfortable."
She really didn't need to
tell him that. Maddox took Jonathan's hand and forced him to follow before he became
ensnared by who knew which of his mom's machinations.
***
Jonathan felt slightly
dizzy. He certainly hadn't expected the warm welcome he'd just received. He
felt slightly panicked at not being able to remember everyone's names,
especially the kids who had been impossible to make stay put at dinner and had
mostly run around the table, causing a ruckus that no one except their
grandfather seemed to care about.
He followed Maddox into a
cozy bedroom that looked like it was still inhabited by a teenager with many
hobbies by the posters on the walls and the various collectibles arranged
neatly on the shelves. "I hadn't quite pegged you as a nerd," he said with a
smile as he looked at the figurines without touching them.
Maddox was busy making the
bed and fluffing the pillows. The sight of that bed was enough to make Jonathan
gulp. His plans were clearly down the drain. Maybe it had been a mistake to
come here... but he couldn't convince himself of that at all.
"Did you just call me a
nerd?" Maddox asked with a snort. "Now," he said and put his hands on his hips,
"why did you leave so early without saying anything? And if you didn't go to
your folks, where have you been staying for the last several days?"
He could go ahead and
tell him everything, about Xpress, the blackmail, the mere fact that he
couldn't face the same hazing once more. But it would ruin the mood, he
thought, and by how Maddox was slightly moving his hips, the mood was already
set.
So, he smiled and leaned
against the door. "I'm a man with means. Scholarship, work-study, all that.
Plus, I still have my sapphire card."
Maddox guffawed at that
like he had just heard the best joke ever. Jonathan blinked a couple of times.
Could it be that Maddox was nervous? That made two of them.
"Would you like to come
to bed?"
It was an innocent
question, but Jonathan didn't believe in such things when it came to Maddox. He
didn't move as Maddox walked over to him and hovered close. There was suddenly
not enough air in the room to fill his lungs. From up close, Maddox still
looked as pretty as he remembered.
Jonathan cleared his
throat. "I have so many things I need to tell you."
Maddox leaned closer and
pressed one thigh between his legs. Jonathan let out a small surprised sound,
but it was swallowed from his lips by a hot mouth.
"Anything that can't
wait?" Maddox asked.
Jonathan shook his head.
He was weak in the knees already.
"You know," Maddox teased
his ear, while his strong thigh moved so that Jonathan's crotch was caught in
the crossfire, "I was this close to sending you mournful love songs just so you
would understand how you made me feel by keeping me away."
Jonathan shivered.
Maddox's hot breath on the side of his neck did nothing to calm his nerves.
"You're not the kind to listen to mournful love songs. The whole thing would
have been a little trite."
"Maybe you don't know
everything about me."
"Maybe."
To his surprise, Maddox
pushed himself away from him and then took out his phone. Jonathan stared at
him, not understanding. He blinked when a pleasant harmony filled the room.
"It's an old song," he remarked. Maybe mournful wasn't the right word to
describe it, but it was a love song.
"I know some of those,
surprisingly," Maddox said and smiled.
Jonathan wondered if it
was possible to survive if you turned into a puddle on the floor.
"That's how I've felt
since I met you," Maddox added and bit his bottom lip suggestively.
"Really?" Jonathan tried
to put off the inevitable by playing it cool, but his voice was hoarse, his
heart threatened to jump out of his chest, and his palms were sweaty. Under
other circumstances, all of that would have felt like a nightmare. But this was
no nightmare; it was paradise.
"Do you want me to say
it?" Maddox moved closer again and whispered the words of the song into his ear,
deftly replacing the word `woman' with `man' in the lyrics. "Take
responsibility," he said while wrapping his arms around Jonathan, "because I
can't escape."
Jonathan aimed his head
so that he could kiss away that last word from Maddox's mouth. He couldn't
escape, either.
TBC
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