“Can you believe Laurant, who can stand up to Jet with a smile on his face, is nervous about being my best man? It took some time to convince him that I really wanted him, and eventually, he agreed. I told him I’d let him know when we set the date, but in the meantime, he wants to talk themes.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“He wanted us to consider a Betazoid wedding, one where we’re all naked and afterward it’s expected that there will be a huge orgy. It’s actually one of the simpler things he mentioned, but we’d have to buy a lot of lube and condoms.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I talked to your mom. She’s excited about the idea. She can’t wait to be naked in front of everyone.”
Ben dropped his fork with a clatter. “You did what?” he shouted. “No way is my mom going to be naked in a room full of our friends.”
Artie stood and moved behind Ben, digging his fingers into the tight muscles of Ben’s broad shoulders. The knots had knots. He’d seen Ben tense before, but never to this degree. When his lover leaned back and put his head to Artie’s chest, Artie rested his chin atop Ben’s head.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“My mother being naked in a room full of people? No, I don’t want to even think about it.”
Artie chuckled, then kissed Ben’s hair. “No one is going to be naked. I wondered if you were paying attention.”
“I’m sorry. I-I need to talk to you. You know I went to see Danny from the Odd Squad. He offered me a job.”
“Okay, and?”
“I told you I was quitting. It doesn’t seem right.”
“But you want to do it, yeah?”
Ben nodded.
“Good. You should. I think you’d be a lot of help to whomever you work for.”
Ben extricated himself from Artie’s grip and turned to face him, confusion evident in his expression. “But I thought we agreed I should give up being a cop and stay home to help raise our family.”
“The world is a dangerous place, no matter what. I think we both know that intimately by now. Do I want you to rush out into danger? No, definitely not. Do I really think you’d be happy staying home and changing diapers? Yeah, for a while, but then you’d miss your job. You’d stay here, anything to make me happy, I’m sure, but you know what? That’s not the man I fell in love with. If you want to do the job, you should. I will always support you in everything you decide to do.”
“There’s more,” Ben said quietly. “They asked for you, too.”
“They what? Why? I’m not the type to work in law enforcement.”
“No, but you have a gift, and they think they’d be able to use it. Before you answer, they also want to send someone to train you. She’s got good references from Danny, and she knows about you. He thinks the two of you could work well together.”
Artie stepped back, needing a moment to gather his thoughts. He let his gaze slide around the room, looking at the few surviving things he’d created with his hands. That was where his gift lay, not in being part of the Odd Squad. “I don’t think it’s for me,” he admitted.
“No, I told them that. But maybe you could help them on occasion in exchange for the training? I want you safe.”
The phrasing was odd. “Why would you think I’m not going to be safe?”
Ben swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“Danny said they’re afraid you might lose control and hurt someone. Maybe my folks or Ally. He thinks you’re potentially dangerous.”
“And what do you think?”
“Personally I think he’s full of shit. I don’t think you could ever hurt anyone.”
“He’s not wrong,” Artie said quietly. “I wish he was, but he isn’t. All my life I’ve buried my anger and hurt. I never let it out if I could avoid it, unless I was in my private spot. I know given the right circumstances I could be dangerous. It’s part of the reason I’ve always been so closed off. I’m untrained, and in the world we’re living in, that could potentially make me a threat.”
“Nope. I won’t believe it. Let me show you what I think.”
Ben grabbed Artie by the neck and pulled him close. He leaned over and ran his tongue along his lover’s neck, causing Artie to get goose bumps. He looked Artie in the eye and smiled.
“Read me,” Ben growled, before he took Artie’s mouth in a blistering kiss, allowing access to his innermost thoughts and emotions. Artie was unprepared for the assault, and had no time to ready himself for the onslaught of emotion. As the kiss deepened, an overwhelming amount of images rolled through Artie’s mind. Every one of them showed what Ben thought of him. A gentle man with a voracious sexual appetite. He was someone who fit with Ben, someone who was loved.
“We have a couple million dollars. I can make up to a hundred thousand for a vase,” Artie gasped as Ben broke the kiss.
“So that’s what you thought of while I was kissing you? Obviously I need more practice.”
Ben’s words were gentle, and the smile calmed Artie’s jittery nerves.
“I want you to know everything. There won’t be anything I keep from you, because I want to be that man you see me as.”
“Hell, you’re probably the only person in existence who is as wonderful as your dog thinks you are,” Ben replied, threading his fingers in Artie’s hair while licking a strip up his neck. The connection made it difficult for Artie to form words. He heard Ben chuckle as his hands roamed across Artie’s chest, squeezing his nipples.
“Fuck,” Artie whined. “Please don’t stop.”
“Not gonna,” Ben answered, his voice husky.
Deft hands peeled their clothes off before Artie even registered it had happened. The cool air wrapped around his body, a startling contrast to Ben’s touch. He groaned and pressed into Ben’s hands.
“I need more,” Artie moaned.
“Yes, you do. You’re so needy, and I love it.”
Ben dragged Artie to the couch and pushed him down on it, before kneeling and splaying his lover’s legs. Artie watched through hooded eyes as Ben laved his cock with long licks, then swirled his tongue around the shaft. He teased the slit before drawing the head into sweet heat. It took everything Artie could manage not to grab Ben’s hair and hold it while he thrust in deeper.
Ben pulled back and smiled. “Seems you like that.”
“Bastard,” Artie snarled playfully, pushing up with his hips. “Get back to work.”
“Love it when you get bossy,” Ben said with a grin, then swallowed Artie to the root, causing Artie to cry out.
Ben varied his technique. Hard sucks turned to soft licks, which then became tugs. Artie didn’t think he’d ever been so turned on, and it wasn’t a surprise to him when he grabbed Ben’s hair and pulled him back so he could stare into his eyes. “Get your ass upstairs,” he said, his voice husky.
***
Ben figured those words would be coming soon, and he was damned glad to hear them. Artie was shy around other people, but he had no problems taking charge with Ben, who loved every moment of it.
Artie gave a lopsided grin and heat flooded through Ben. He took Artie by the hand and led him to the bathroom where he pushed his lover into the shower. It wasn’t like the one they’d had at home, where they had room to play. This one took work to fit the two of them, with Ben taking up most of the room. Washing Artie was a transcendental experience for Ben. He would never get enough of this man. The pale skin, dotted with a light smattering of freckles on the shoulders, the long, elegant fingers which could shape exquisite creations or bring Ben to his knees with their touch.
“I love you,” he whispered, stroking the cloth down Artie’s neck. “I never thought I would find the person I couldn’t live without. But you? You’re everything and more. So very much more. I would give you anything I had in return for a smile. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
Artie turned and wrapped his arms around Ben, nuzzling at his chest. He took the cloth, stepped back, and trailed it down Ben’s arms. It seemed as though he had something on his mind, but wasn’t sure how to say it. Finally he sighed and looked up, his expression filled with hope.
“You could have anyone, but you chose me. When we first met, I was certain you hated me, but there was something in your eyes when you saw that vase. Then when you told me how you felt? I looked for the loophole. I didn’t want you to be like everyone else. After all that, though? It probably sounds stupid, but it was a bigger shock than learning you could touch me. With your help, I’m learning there isn’t a need to be afraid. No matter who I touch, though, it will never hold the wonderment yours does. Because every time I feel your hands on me, it’s like finding the one place I truly belong. I will never take that, or you, for granted.”
Ben laughed. “Man, you’d say anything to get my ass, wouldn’t you?”
Artie looked stricken, and Ben was instantly sorry for teasing, but then Artie grinned and smacked his wet ass cheeks, leaving a sharp sting. “Can you blame me? These things were made to be used and abused, and I’m in the mood to do that. So let’s hurry out of here before the water turns cold and get to it.”
Despite the coarseness of his words, Artie lingered while drying Ben. Every nook and cranny was patted dry, fondled and caressed. There was no doubt about it. Artie made Ben feel cherished. No one else had ever done that. None of them had cared what he wanted in a relationship, only that they could tell their friends they were with a hot cop. Not a lover, but a lay. Those were distant memories, though. Artie washed them all away.
When they got to the bedroom, Duke was sprawled on the bed. He looked up and Ben swore he rolled his eyes before he jumped down and padded from the room. Ben lay on the bed, grateful for the smaller mattress as it brought them closer together. He held out his arms and Artie lay beside him, kissing anywhere his lips could reach.
“Don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this,” Artie whispered between kisses.
“You’d better not,” Ben warned. “I expect we’ll be in our eighties and still getting it on like teenagers.”
Artie tilted his head and Ben dove in for one of his lover’s most erogenous areas, clamping his mouth on the offered throat. He loved making Artie moan, forcing him to lose control, getting him worked up, knowing their lovemaking would be more intense. When Artie began panting, Ben’s ass clenched, because he knew it was about to get an amazing ride, but then something changed. Artie rolled Ben onto his back and held his wrists down.
“Not this time, bastard. You know how to play me, don’t you? But we’re going to try something a little different today. I want you to grab the headboard and don’t move your hands. Can you do that for me?”
Ben was caught in Artie’s gaze. It was so intense that he knew he should look away, but he was trapped.
“Ben? I asked you a question. Can you keep your hands there? Don’t make me have to tie them.”
Shivers raced through Ben at Artie’s words. “I’m almost tempted to say no,” he admitted. “I’ll keep them here.”
Artie chuckled. “We’ll keep that in mind for when we’re back home and I can tie you to the corners of the bed, all stretched out so you can’t move while I have my wicked way with you.”
“Okay, yes, we should do that.”
Leaning forward, Artie took Ben’s mouth in a kiss. Ben wanted to reach around and hold him, keep their lips locked together, but he needed to know what Artie had in mind. It became more important to him than his next breath. After he broke the kiss, Artie started exploring Ben’s body. Each touch inflamed Ben’s senses, making him want more. And he got it. Light grazing of the nails along his sides, nibbles on his legs, sharp pinches to his nipples. Combined, they had Ben achingly hard.
When Artie reached across to the nightstand, Ben knew what was coming. He moved to roll over, but Artie stopped him. “I want you on your back. You need to see what I’m doing. Lift your legs for me.”
Ben returned his hands to the headboard, then raised his legs as Artie snapped open the cap on the lube. He teased Ben’s pucker with a finger, before slowly breaching it and sliding in to the knuckle.
“I love how your ass clenches and grabs hold of my finger. I can’t wait for it to be my cock.”
“Yes, I want that.”
“In a minute, when I’m done playing.”
One minute turned into fifteen as Artie stretched Ben, scissoring his fingers, tapping the prostate, and pretty much turning Ben into a mewling mess. He wanted to scream for Artie to stop teasing and fuck him, but he gritted his teeth and waited. If he pressed, Artie would slow down or stop altogether. He may be a shy guy to the world at large, but the bastard had a sadistic streak when it came to their sex lives.
Finally, blessedly, Artie put a bit of lube in his hand and stroked himself, a look of intense pleasure on his face.
“Don’t you dare,” Ben snapped. “That better not be wasted on a goddamn hand job.”
“Oh, don’t worry, it’s going in you. I’ve been waiting for this.”
Artie grabbed Ben’s legs and put them on his shoulder, before he began poking at Ben’s hole. “You gonna open up for me?” he purred. “Let me in and make us both feel good?”
Ben tried to lift his hips—anything to get Artie in him—but kept being denied.
“Please, don’t tease,” he begged.
“That’s what I was waiting for.”
Artie surged forward, burying himself balls deep in a matter of seconds. Ben prayed he’d wait a minute to let him catch his breath, but that wasn’t happening. Artie began pulling out and shoving back in, setting a hard pace from the start.
“You don’t have any idea how good this feels,” Artie whispered. “I’ve been waiting on this for so long.”
Ben was confused for a few moments before realization set in. “You don’t have a condom on.”
“Got my test results. Clean as a whistle. And from now on, this ass is going to be my playground.”
Artie leaned forward and kissed Ben, who finally turned his grip loose and wrapped his fingers in the thick hair, deepening the kiss. Over and over Artie hit home, most times sliding over Ben’s prostate. Combined with the friction of their bodies rubbing together, there was about to be an amazing orgasm.
“Going to come. For the first time, with nothing between us. You want that, right?”
“Hell yes,” Ben panted. “Wanna come with you.”
Three more thrusts and Artie threw his head back, groaning as he shot inside Ben, who cried out as he let loose jets of semen, sticking their bodies together.
“Fuck, that was…”
“Yeah, it was,” Artie agreed. “I think I broke it.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll kiss it better. After I get my strength back. Like tomorrow.”
Artie went to move, but Ben held him tight. “Just for a few more minutes.”
“Were going to rip hair out when this dries.”
“Worth it, trust me.”
They snuggled together, unable to stop touching each other until they finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep.