Chapter 75

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Chapter 75

“All right, gentlemen. We’re almost there. Just one more,” Cynthia Smilkas said, pushing a document towards Duane for his review and approval.

We were all gathered in a conference room at Fifth/Third bank, and she was there representing the bank to ensure all the mortgage and title paperwork was in order before she transferred funds to the seller’s account and the house became rightfully ours. She looked to be in her early thirties, her chestnut hair cut in a short, angular style that tapered up along the back of her head, exposing her long smooth neck. It was a style that was both professional and a little rebellious, and Jasper and I exchanged a smirk over it when we first saw her. It said a lot about her and made us feel instantly more comfortable.

Duane glanced over the document and nodded, pushing it along the table until it was in front of me. I picked up my pen for what seemed like the hundredth time and quickly scrolled my signature along the appropriate line before pushing the paper over to Jasper.

“Your signature goes right here, Mr. Whitlock,” Cynthia pointed unnecessarily when Jasper hesitated for a few seconds.

I knew he wasn’t confused about where to sign. His hand trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly, as he picked up his pen. He glanced in my direction and it was as if he’d opened a book on his emotions. I could see his excitement and happiness, but also some of the emotional exhaustion we were both feeling after everything that happened this week. On top of it all, I saw the remnants of the fear that remained despite all the safeguards Duane, Garrett and I had put in place for his protection. We’d ensured that he would never be in financial peril as a result of this purchase, but that had only been a small fraction of his caution and trepidation. Much as I wanted to erase all his doubts, I knew the only thing that could do that completely was time - time that we spent together in our new home, making up for years of needless separation.

I held my breath as he skimmed the pen along the paper, signing with a semi-theatrical flourish that I’d already witnessed countless times but still made me grin with pride. I was so fortunate to have him back in my life, this gorgeous man with all his strengths and vulnerabilities and all the ways we differed that made us the perfect fit for one another. As he put down the pen and pushed the document to Cynthia I reached for his hand and grasped it tightly. He looked back at me and smiled, and this time there was nothing in his eyes but joy.

“Well, gentlemen, that’s all we need. Congratulations. You are now the proud owners of a new home,” Cynthia pronounced, gathering her documents into a file and passing a pile of copies to Duane. She reached over to shake my hand and then Jasper’s, following with Duane, Barney and the seller’s agent and lawyer. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

“Likewise, Cynthia,” I told her. “I’m very happy Garrett had you handle this transaction.”

She tilted her head slightly in acknowledgement of the compliment. “We’re very happy we could assist you in this matter, Mr. Cullen.”

She stood up to leave the room, glancing towards the seller’s agent and attorney. “I can bring the proof of the funds transfer back here or, if you prefer, you could accompany me downstairs,” she offered.

“Let’s do that,” the seller’s attorney replied. She was in her fifties and completely professional, but her tightly wound salt-and pepper bun and a face marked by deep frown lines around the eyes and mouth that gave her a severe disapproving expression made none of us regret that she was about to leave. She shook our hands briefly and coolly, while the agent, a colleague from Barney’s office did his best to make up for her by offering a much warmer and sincere congratulations and hardier handshakes as he left the room. Nevertheless, I was glad when the door closed behind them and we were left with only Duane and Barney for company.

“Well, I have to say this was the strangest home search I’ve ever done for a client. With the tight deadline and your list of demands, I wasn’t sure we’d have any success and then this house just fell into our proverbial laps and it couldn’t have been more perfect,” Barney declared with a smile. “Congratulations, guys, you just got a deal of the century not just in price, but in how it fits your needs.”

“Thanks, Barney. You know damn well we couldn’t have done it without you. And you too, Duane,” I turned to our new Manhattan counsel. “We can’t thank you enough for making time to draft up all our documents and be here with us today.”

“Happy to do it, Bubba. We’re all family, am I right? Besides, it wasn’t all altruism on my part. You’ll be getting an invoice from the firm shortly,” he gave me a wink and a smile.

“I’m not concerned,” I said, and I wasn’t, even knowing Manhattan legal rates were undoubtedly much higher than those in Seattle.

“You’re awfully quiet, Jasper,” Barney noticed. I reached over again to take Jasper’s hand.

“I’m just a little overwhelmed, I guess. My first time buying a house. Before this, my biggest purchases were my laptop and video equipment. I’ve never even owned a car.”

We all chuckled.

“Look at it this way: after this, everything else will be small potatoes,” Duane pointed out and we all laughed again. “And speaking of potatoes, why don’t we celebrate over a late lunch? My treat.”

Jasper and I both glanced at our watches, which indicated it was 1:20 in the afternoon. It was hard to believe we’d spent nearly two and a half hours in this room. Time had passed quickly in the midst of the closing, even though most of it had been taken up by various people signing countless documents.

“What do you think? Do we have time?” I asked Jasper. I knew his quiet demeanor wasn’t just the result of making a big purchase, and wanted him to know I was fine skipping the celebratory lunch if he needed time away from other people.

“Has there been any news?” Jasper asked hesitantly. I knew he was being deliberately cryptic to avoid having to explain the situation in Washington to our realtor and attorney. The closing was an effective distraction, but now we were both back on edge, waiting to hear if my efforts from the previous day paid off. I glanced at my phone, which I’d set to avoid interruptions during the closing, and saw an incoming text from Roberto. I quickly opened and sighed with relief, then turned the screen so that Jasper could read it.

“Yes!” he shouted. “It worked. Edward, it worked!” He rose out of his chair and I stood just in time to be enveloped in his arms. “You did it. I can’t believe it. You actually did it!”

“We don’t know if it had anything to do with anything I did, but it’s good news, for sure.”

“Better than buying a new house?” Duane asked, looking amused.

Jasper considered the question. “Not better, but maybe just as good.”

“If it works out the way we want. It’s still a long road,” I reminded him.

“Judging by the oblique references, I take it we shouldn’t ask for details?” Duane pressed.

“Details would take too long. Suffice it to say that a nemesis from back home may finally be getting his due,” I told him, hoping it would be enough to satisfy his and Barney’s obvious curiosity.

“And now have two huge things to celebrate, so to answer your earlier question, yes, let’s do lunch. We have time as long as we don’t linger. Our friends are supposed to meet us at the house at three to help us move in,” Jasper explained for Duane and Barney’s benefit.

“Then we’d best get going. It’s late enough that getting a table should be easy,” Duane announced and led us out of the conference room and the bank even as he called a nearby restaurant and made sure we’d be able to get seated without waiting.

The lunch at a nearby upscale French bistro was pleasant. The four of us chatted about real estate and life in Manhattan and before we knew it we were ready to depart. Barney insisted on walking to the house with us to ensure that there were no problems, though the fact that the house had been unoccupied made problems highly unlikely. Sure enough, the keys worked perfectly and Barney started to leave.

“Can you do us a favor?” I asked, before he was gone. “Could you take a picture?” I handed him my phone and grabbed Jasper to stand with me on the front porch.

“Of course. Say cheese!” Barney encouraged and snapped a pic. “And another, more romantic?”

Jasper and I didn’t need to be told twice to lean in and kiss. Lost in the thrill and happiness of the moment, I didn’t even hear the camera’s fake shutter click, and only pulled back when Barney walked up the stairs to hand back my phone.

“Best of luck, you two. I know you’re going to turn this house into a wonderful home.”

We thanked him and watched as he walked to the end of the block and disappeared around the corner of Park Avenue.

“So, here we are,” Jasper said, turning towards the front door.

“Yup, here we are. Alone for,” I checked my watch, “another fifteen minutes, before the cavalry arrives.”

“Enough time for a quickie,” Jasper suggested with a wide grin.

“Yes, but is that what we want for our first time here?” I pulled him closer and moved his hand to cover my hardening dick. “I want you real bad, but I’d rather wait until we have enough time alone to do this right, and in our bed.”

“When is the bed getting here?”

“The store promised they’d deliver at four.”

“We’ll make sure everyone’s gone at four oh five.”

I sighed. We both knew that wasn’t going to happen.

When Jasper shared the news of our successful offer and our quick closing, his friends insisted on helping us move all of his things into the house immediately. I pointed out that it would be easier for us to hire movers and that we could have everyone over for a housewarming party after we settled in, but Jasper didn’t want to turn down his friends’ offer.

“Just go with it. This is what we do whenever someone moves. The guys want to help. It’d be better if we could wait until the weekend, but it’s easier for them to help on a weeknight when they don’t have to work an event. I know it will suck up some time were hoping to have to ourselves, but I’ll make sure they leave at a reasonable hour. Please?”

I sensed this was an important ritual for this group and, most importantly, for Jasper, and I didn’t want to be the outsider who messed up the group dynamic. Or, more accurately, the outsider who continued to mess up the group dynamic just as it showed signs of getting back on the rails. Which is why on the morning of our closing we went with to Peter and Demetri’s place to help Jasper’s friends load his stuff into the catering van.

Thanos, Lazzaro and Yiannis, whom I had met during our club outing, and Ben, another crew member I met for the first time, were there to lend their muscles. Levi directed the loading, making sure everything was tightly packed. Rey-Rey was there too, but he mostly flirted and chatted and was more of a distraction than help. His most useful contribution was running out to get us all some much needed coffee after we finally brought down the last load and shut the van door.

Demetri’s movements were still too restricted for him to help, so he stayed upstairs, setting out snacks and water as we worked. He also prepped ingredients for the pizzas he was determined to bake in our new ovens that night, ignoring my offer to order take-out from one of the many restaurants in our new neighborhood.

“I co-own a catering company for a reason, and I haven’t cooked enough lately,” he said. “Besides, pizza is easy. I’ll have all the toppings and dough prepared so everyone can make their own. It’s a perfect way to break in those double ovens in your wet-dream of a kitchen.”

“Oh, please, please say yes!” Rey-Rey clapped his hands. “Dimi’s pizza is awesome!”

I laughed, knowing that as much as I loved the kitchen in our new home, Demetri would appreciate it even more.

“Okay, fine, but we’ll get the beer,” I insisted.

“I already sent Ros to buy it. That’s why he’s not here,” Demetri explained, answering one of my unasked questions

“Will he be there tonight?” Jasper asked the other.

“He will if it’s all right with you,” Demetri said cautiously, looking from me to Jasper.

“It’s up to Jasper. Friends are always welcome in our home.”

I looked to Jasper, wondering what he would say. I knew Peter still hadn’t apologized for the argument that drove us to move out and I wasn’t sure if Jasper still considered him a friend.

“If his feelings haven’t changed, he may as well stay here. I don’t want his negativity in our new home, especially on our first day there.”

“He wants to congratulate you on the house,” Demetri hedged. “And don’t worry, I won’t let him spoil this for you, especially considering all that’s happened this week.”

I put my hand on Jasper’s shoulder and squeezed to let him know it was fine with me. He gave me a long, searching look, which I tried to return with reassurance.

“Okay,” Jasper finally replied. “If I have your word.”

“You have ours too, buddy,” Ben said, clapping Jasper’s shoulder. “We’ll all be there to keep him in line. He won’t be our boss tonight.”

When all of Jasper’s things from the apartment had been loaded into the van, we drove to the hotel and brought down all the boxes we’d stored there. Between the things that my friends had shipped and the purchases Jasper and I had made over the weekend, we managed to fill all the remaining space in the van. It was then time for Jasper and me to get to the closing, with the guys promising to meet us at the house at three.

“They may be late, depending on traffic,” Jasper observed as we both watched for the van. Should we go in to make sure the utilities have been turned on?”

“Sure. The doorbell works, right?” I asked rhetorically because neither of us had actually tested it. I pressed the button and smiled when I heard the tone inside.

“Guess so. And we have electricity,” Jasper pointed out  the hall fixture, which turned on at his flick of the wall switch.

“I’ll just go check the gas,” I said, walking to the stairs that led down to the kitchen.

“I’ll come with you,” Jasper was right behind me.

The burner on the stove lit immediately, making us both grin like idiots.

“Cable will be here tomorrow?” he asked.

“Yup.” The next day was soon enough, neither of us was going to be watching TV or surfing the net on our first evening home.

“I can’t believe this is all ours,” Jasper said, rotating slowly to take in as much of the lower level as he could see.

“I know, but believe it. This is our home. Finally.”

“I know, and on the same day we find that James reached the end of his rope.”

“Hopefully there’s just enough rope left for him to hang himself.”

He pulled me closer and gave me a deep, slow kiss. “I love you, Edward Cullen.”

“And I love you, Jasper Whitlock. I’m so glad that our new beginning here coincides with James’ end in Washington.”

“I am too, but we’ve let him intrude on this time enough. Let’s not mention him again for the rest of the night. I want this night to be about us and our new home. I can’t wait to make a lifetime of memories here with you.”

“A lifetime of memories... I love the sound of that, starting right now.”

Just then, we both heard the doorbell.

“Well, they can’t all be memories involving just the two of us,” he said lightly. “Let’s go greet our first guests.”

Levi was the self-appointed bell ringer. “Hope we didn’t interrupt anything,” He said, raking us with his eyes for evidence to the contrary.

“Nope. Closing went long. We just got here a few minutes ago,” Jasper replied and smirked at Levi’s disappointment. I got the feeling that Levi enjoyed catching other guys mid-coitus and Jasper was glad we’d been able to thwart him.

“Well, we’re all here,” Levi said, pointing to the curb where Ben, Thanos, Yiannis and Rey Rey were assembled next to the catering van. They all gave us a cheery wave, as did Demetri, who was being helped out of the passenger seat by Peter. “Just tell us what goes where.”

The three of us walked down to the sidewalk in time for Peter to accomplish his task and turn around.

“Hey,” Jasper said curtly when their eyes met.

“Nice digs! Even better in person than in the pictures. And such neighbors! We’d better be careful or we might get arrested for loitering,” Thanos joked to lighten the mood, tilting his head towards the Bulgarian Embassy.

“It is a little strange to live on the same street as diplomats,” I acknowledged. “I wasn’t expecting that when I moved here.”

“It’s a beautiful house. You two got very lucky. Congratulations!” Peter said, mostly to Jasper as he handed him a tall and narrow gift bag.

“Thanks, we feel lucky. It’s even better inside.”

“Hey guys, what are you all doing standing around? I thought we had shit to move.”

We turned to see two guys I’d never met.

“Faraz, Mike, nice to see you,” Jasper called out. “I don’t think you met Edward yet,” he turned to me with question in his eyes and I shook my head.

“Faraz and Mike are also on Ros and Dimi’s crew,” Jasper explained.

“And they always show up if there’s free food or drinks,” Levi added.

“There’s free food and drinks? Bonus!” Faraz faked surprise. “Nice to meet you, Edward.”

“Yeah, man, good to meet you,” Mike echoed. “And stop giving us shit, Levi. We get free food and drinks at the end of every night at work, so it’s not like it’s a novelty.”

“You’d think, wouldn’t you?” Levi said haughtily, making it clear that he wasn’t taking back his earlier comment.

“Guys, come on, there’s a van full of stuff to move,” Ben played peacemaker. “Where to?”

“We should take Dimi and all the food stuff to the kitchen,” Jasper directed, opening the gate that led to the lower entryway.

“I’ll help Dimi if you guys can grab the coolers,” Peter added.

“And maybe someone can help me with some of these bags from the bag. We bought some things for the kitchen over the weekend that Dimi will need.”

Ben and Thanos each took a cooler. The other men joined me at the back of the van and took the shopping bags filled with stuff we bought during of our whirlwind weekend shopping excursions. We’d been rushed and hadn’t wanted to make major decisions on the fly, but it didn’t stop us from buying kitchen, bedroom and bathroom necessities.

“The kitchen stuff can stay down here,” I told the men as we followed Jasper, Peter and Dimi to the lower level,” and we can use the dumb waiter to send the bed and bath stuff up to the master level.”

“What, no elevator? I’m outta here,” Yannis joked.

“Felix and Anton will be here after five. They said to wait with the heaviest stuff until then,” Dimi called from the kitchen. “Holy shit, Jasper, this is amazing! There’s more room here than at our store!”

Come on, it’s not that big,” Jasper protested.

“No, it really is,” Levi echoed Demetri, “and I’m a size queen, so I should know.”

We all chuckled at the joke.

“Why don’t you show everyone around while I put the kitchen stuff away,” I suggested.

“Sure. This is the kitchen, obviously. We passed by the laundry room and pantry on the way in,” Jasper began. “We can step outside to check out the back yard. It’s really nice.”

All the guys followed Jasper, leaving me alone in the kitchen. I didn’t mind, happy to have some time to myself to figure out how I wanted to arrange our new things. I knew from experience that I’d probably change some things down the road, though I knew more now about what I like where than before I moved into my last home. As I fitted organizers into the drawer I chose for silverware, I thought about how much I was looking forward to cooking in here for the two of us. We finally found a place where we could be as casually relaxed together as Emmett and Nasir and Seth and Garrett were in their respective homes.

“We have wine storage here and those are the stairs to the basement. You’re welcome to take a look, but there’s really nothing down there,” Jasper continued the tour as all the men filed back inside behind him.

“Fantastic yard, Edward,” Mike complimented. “Jasper said you had plans for the garden.”

“Ideas more than plans. I have to do some research. I’d love to plant a butterfly garden, but I have to make sure the plants wouldn’t attract bees.”

“You don’t have to do that for me. I can just look at the flowers from inside when it’s pollination season,” Jasper protested, but I could tell he was touched.

“Nonsense. We’ll have a garden both of us can enjoy. I’m sure it can be done.”

“Well, as much as I’d like to see the rest of the house, I think I’d better stay down here and help Edward while the rest of you go up and check it out,” Demetri said. “But before you go, can someone bring in the folding chairs and table?”

“We’re on it,” Ben said, gesturing to Thanos. “The rest of you go upstairs. We’ll catch up.”

“I should stay with Dimi,” Peter said, looking at his husband.

“I’m fine. I need to get the food sorted. Edward will help me if I need it.”

I had to give Peter credit. He worked hard at hiding his distaste when Demetri spoke my name. It was obvious to me, though, that he wanted his husband to have as little to do with me as possible.

It was equally obvious that he knew he couldn’t voice his objections, not if he wanted to stay in Demetri’s good graces and have a chance to reclaim Jasper’s friendship.

Ben and Thanos retraced our original route back to the van while the rest of the guys followed Jasper upstairs. Demetri leaned on the kitchen island, watching me put stuff away.

“You look happy. Feels good to have your own kitchen again?”

“Yeah, it does,” I grinned back at him. “I’m no gourmet, but I like cooking. It relaxes me, plus it’s healthier.”

“With everything that’s happened since you moved to New York, I imagine you’re looking forward to relaxing a bit. And you certainly deserve to.”

“This move was more eventful than I ever thought it would be.”

“No regrets, though?”

“None whatsoever. Best decision I ever made, especially now that Jasper and I can finally settle in. There’s still a lot to do, but we decided most of it can wait until after the holidays. Jasper’s getting busier and busier at work and I don’t want to make major decisions without him. Plus we’re dealing with all that stuff in Washington. I don’t think we’ll need to go back there, but who knows? Anyway, we’ll probably hire your friend who stages homes and use rental furniture until we have the time to select pieces we want in here permanently.”

“Jasper mentioned that. Antoine is really good. He may get you started with rentals, but if you like his work he can get you permanent stuff too.”

“We’ll think about that, after the holidays. Right now I just want to ease off a little and enjoy the season as much as we can.”

“Good idea. I’d say the same, except this is when our business thrives, so easing off is not realistic. We relax in January.” He smiled, and then his brows furrowed. “Of course, this year I can’t do as much as I usually can, so Ros is under a lot more pressure. That’s partly why he’s been so...”

I nodded curtly and turned back to the cabinets. I sympathized with Demetri and understood why he was making excuses for his partner. I even understood how extra stress and pressure could have impacted Peter’s behavior. That didn’t mean I was going to forgive him for what he did to Jasper.

“Where do you want all this set up, Dimi?” Thanos asked, carrying in the folding table and a couple of chairs. Ben followed him with more chairs.

“Under the windows, there,” Demetri pointed. He hobbled over and sat in one of the chairs as soon as Thanos unfolded it. “Damn, even with all that physio, I still get tired so quickly.”

“Don’t push it too far, boss. You don’t want any setbacks,” Thanos advised.

“I know, I know. I just hate that it’s taking so long.”

Ben’s eye roll was his contribution to the conversation. It was obvious that this wasn’t the first time these men heard Demetri’s complaints.

“If I’m not gonna get any sympathy from you two, you might as well go upstairs with the others,” Demetri dismissed them with a dramatic wave of a hand. The guys chortled as they made their way upstairs.

“Ros has had time to think, and observe. I made sure he knows what’s been going on with your friends and the house, and the situation in Washington,” Demetri picked up our earlier conversation as if we were never interrupted.

“Okay,” I said hesitantly, not sure what kind of response he expected.

“He will apologize to Jasper tonight, and he will want to speak with you alone. Will you...?”

I was glad my back was to him so he couldn’t see the emotions playing across my face. I gripped the countertop tightly and took in a long breath.

“I’ll talk to him, but if he’s going to spew more of the same bullshit from the other night he might as well save his breath. My answers will be the same.”

“I can’t and won’t speak for him, but I suspect the conversation will be different. I don’t know how much,” he immediately backpedaled so as not to raise expectations too high.

“Okay. Whatever. I’ll hear him out,” I grudgingly agreed.

“Good. Now, can you bring me that cooler.”

***

With everyone working together, we had more than half of the van unpacked before the delivery truck arrived with the bedroom set and mattress Jasper and I picked out over the weekend. Demetri had set out the pizza topping buffet on the kitchen island, so our friends took a snack break while the professionals set up our bedroom. The timing couldn’t have been better, as it gave Jasper and me time to speak privately.

“Peter said he was sorry about the way he overreacted when you arrived,” Jasper told me. “He admits that he was hasty and that he should give you a chance to show him how much you’ve changed instead of making snap judgments based on outdated impressions.”

“Good. I’m sorry it took him so long to get there, but it’s good he gets it now.”

“He also apologized for saying that I had bad judgment and wasn’t capable of looking out for my own interests.”

“Even better. That’s what he really needed to apologize for.”

“No, he needed to apologize for both.”

I pulled him into my arms and held him.

“So you and he are good?”

He looked deeply into my eyes. “I think so. An apology alone wouldn’t have done it, but he said things will be different going forward and he seemed sincere. He wants to talk to you.”

“I know. Dimi told me.”

“I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. You don’t have to.”

“I know I don’t have to, but it is a good idea. And it’s probably best if we talk alone, so there’s less need for either of us to posture.”

“You don’t posture!”

I lifted an eyebrow.

“Not anymore. You haven’t.”

“I do my best to rein in the instinct, and I’m glad I managed to so far, but it will still be easier if it’s just him and me.”

“Okay, but if he’s a jerk again-”

“Let’s cross that bridge if we get to it.”

I silenced any further admonitions with a slow, loving kiss, and the way he melted into me there, in our bedroom, next to our new, still unmade bed, was the best feeling in the world.

***

By five thirty all our stuff was in the house, mostly in the rooms where it belonged and some of it even unpacked. The guys brought in more folding chairs and we were all gathered in the kitchen, scarfing down homemade pizzas like we hadn’t eaten in years. Not that I’d doubted him, but Rey-Rey had been absolutely right: Demetri’s pizzas were to die for.

“I’ll get it,” Jasper called when the doorbell rang.

“It’s probably Felix and Anton,” Demetri guessed. “Or Francis and Cam.”

He was undoubtedly right. Everyone else it could have been was already in the kitchen.

“We’re here. What do you want us to carry?” Felix’s voice boomed down the staircase a few seconds before he emerged.

“You can put together your pizzas on the island, over there, and carry them to the oven,” Levi quipped.

“What? I thought I told you guys to leave the heavy stuff for us,” Felix complained.

“Who are you talking to? We can handle heavy stuff just as well as you can. Do you know how much those trays full of food and dishes weigh?” Thanos scoffed.

“Hey, I’m not trying to dis you guys,” Felix lifted his hands in surrender. “We just wanted to help.”

“Well, it’s all done. Jasper didn’t have that much stuff and none of it was really all that heavy. It was the stairs that killed us. Of course his old bedroom set had to go to the top floor.” Ben piped in.

“Sorry guys. Maybe we should have put it in one of the bedrooms on the floor below,” Jasper said, apologetically second-guessing our original plan.

“He’s just yanking your chain,” Yannis chimed in. “One extra flight of stairs didn’t hurt any of us.”

The doorbell rang again.

“That’ll be Francis and Cam,” Demetri triumphantly announced what the rest of us already knew. Jasper moved to the staircase, but I cut him off.

“Stay and eat. I can get the door.”

I took the stairs two at a time and reached the front door in less than a minute.

“Hey, guys, you made it! Welcome to our home.”

“Sorry we couldn’t be here earlier. Work,” Francis said with a grimace. I gave him and Cam a welcoming hug.

“No worries. The guys made short work of moving Jasper’s stuff and more people would have meant more chaos. We’re glad you’re here now. Dimi set up a make-your-own pizza bar downstairs.”

“Sounds great. I’m starving,” Cam said. “Gorgeous house, by the way. Look at all the woodwork, and the fireplace! Does it work?”

“It does, as do the six others in the house. I think we’ll enjoy the ones in our bedroom and bathroom the most.”

“That sounds pretty great,” Cam said with a longing look at Francis.

“A couple of the guest rooms have fireplaces too. You know, if you’re ever here for dinner and get too drunk to go home,” I said with a wink. Cam’s cheeks flushed and Francis’ smile softened. He leaned down and gave Cam a soft kiss.

“We might take you up on that one of these days,” he said, sending me a grateful look. We both knew that, even drunk, they lived close enough to cab it home. If they spent the night, it wouldn’t be out of necessity.

“We might need house sitters too,” I mused, “after my cat gets here for when we’re visiting family in Washington.”

“You have a cat? Where is it?” Cam was excited.

“His name is Remmy and I left him in Covington with a neighbor. I didn’t think it was fair to bring him out there before we had a permanent place.”

“No,” Cam wrinkled his nose, “cats don’t like change.”

“You have one?” He spoke like a cat owner.

“Used to. My parents got her before I was born. She passed when I was 14. She lived a good life, but it was hard. I still miss her.”

Francis pulled him close to his side, giving him a comforting squeeze.

“You could get another cat,” I suggested, but he shook his head.

“For the same reasons you gave. I don’t feel settled right now. Maybe after I finish college...”

“Should we head downstairs?” Francis asked to change the subject and Cam and I nodded. I was about to lead them down when the doorbell rang again.

“Who’s that?” I wondered out loud. “Go on down, guys. I’ll just see who this is and be right behind you.”

I walked to the door and checked the peephole before flinging the door open.

“Nasir!”

I grabbed him into a tight hug, feeling guilty that I hadn’t even thought to invite him. I knew he was busy at work after missing several days the week prior, and I didn’t want him to worry about our move, especially since he’s been so supportive all week about the situation with James.

“It’s good to see you, buddy! I’m so glad you’re here. Come in! Jasper’s friends are all downstairs and there are homemade pizzas.”

“It is all right that I am here? I know I am probably too late to help, but Jasper texted that I should come over anyway.”

“Of course it’s all right. You know you’re always welcome here, any time. Tomorrow I will go out and make you a set of keys. But tonight, please, come in and help us celebrate. We’ll eat first, and then I’ll take you and some of the other men who just got here for a tour.”

I should have guessed that Jasper made up for my shortcoming and remembered to invite Nasir. I was thrilled at how close they’ve grown in that short time, and it gave me hope that someday, maybe soon, I might be as close with some of the other men downstairs. I already felt close to Cam, and was growing closer to Demetri, though I wasn’t sure how his husband would react to me calling Demetri my friend.

“Nasir, I thought that might have been you,” Jasper said as soon as we reached the kitchen. “I know this isn’t our usual cocktail hour, but it’s the best we can do this week.”

“I do not mind at all. Just think where you had to visit me last week!” Nasir joked.

“I can’t remember who all you’ve met, and it’s been a while anyway, so why don’t I just introduce everyone.”

Jasper went through everyone’s names and Nasir shook hands, greeting the men he recalled as warmly as those he didn’t.

“This reminds me of one of Sethy’s parties. So many gay men! Of course, Sethy would insist on a token straight man.”

“That would be me!” Ben raised the beer bottle he held in his hand and we all laughed.

“And there you go. Just don’t tell Seth that Jasper is giving him a run for his social host money,” I told Nasir.

“My silence can be bought with food and drink,” Nasir joked.

“Let’s get your pizza going, then, big guy,” Rey-Rey said, handing Nasir a pan with the rolled out pizza dough. “Here are the cheese, sauce and toppings. Choose what you like and we’ll get it in the oven.” He pressed himself close to Nasir in a way that made our friend take a small step away.

“Nasir’s happily married, Rey-Rey, as you well know,” Jasper chastised.

“What did I do?” Rey-Rey widened his eyes in faux innocence. “I can’t help if the man has so much magnetism it just draws me near.”

“Try harder to resist,” Jasper admonished, his tone devoid of amusement.

“You’re no fun. And after I worked so hard for you today!” Rey-Rey pouted.

“Come here, baby. Maybe I can think of something to make you feel better.” Ben said and lifted his arm. Rey-Rey immediately scurried to him, wrapping Ben’s arm around himself. He pressed his back against Ben’s chest, grinding his ass against Ben’s crotch.

“You are not like any of Sethy’s straight tokens,” Nasir observed, raising his beer to Ben in thanks.

Ben shrugged. “What can I say? He gives great head and I’m between girlfriends at the moment, so...”

Rey-Rey preened at the compliment and rubbed himself harder against Ben.

“Yeah, you want this?  You want this?” Ben encouraged.  “Work it!” 

The rest of us moved on to other topics.

Pizza, beer and conversation all flowed freely for the next hour. Nasir fit in seamlessly as did I. Peter said little, but he didn’t glower at me or exude that air of disapproval that I’d sensed from him in the past, which made it easier for everyone else to simply be themselves. I drifted to Jasper and pulled him back against me, my arm wrapped loosely around his waist. I wasn’t trying to prove anything. I simply enjoyed being close to him in our home, entertaining our friends as a couple. The fact that no one, including Peter, thought twice about it, made it even better.

When they were done eating and drinking, most of the catering crew announced that it was time they headed out. I didn’t know if they were headed home or going out together, and I didn’t care. As much as I enjoyed having our friends there, I also looked forward to private time with Jasper.

“I guess it’s time for that tour I promised,” I told our late arrivals.

“I can take them,” Jasper volunteered. “I’ve had practice. Too bad you can’t come upstairs, Dimi. I’d love for you to see the rest of the house.”

“Who says he can’t?” Felix asked, confused.

“It’s a lot of stairs,” Demetri explained. “I’m good with the crutches on level surfaces, but stairs are still a bitch.”.

“Well, shit, that’s what I’m here for, isn’t it?” Felix still didn’t understand. “I’ll just toss you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes when we get to the stairs. No problem.”

“I’m not a sack of potatoes, thank you very much,” Demetri objected.

“You’d rather I pretended you were my bride?” Felix joked.

“It’s not ideal, but it is an option,” Jasper coaxed. “I really would like for you to see the rest of the house.”

“Go on, Babe. I’ll stay down here and clean up,” Peter added, looking at me.

“I’ll help,” I said, though without much enthusiasm. I knew we needed to talk. It didn’t mean I was looking forward to it.

“Oh!” If we were in a cartoon, a lightbulb would have turned on over Demetri’s head. “Yeah, okay. I guess I could play sack of potatoes for a while. Or maybe I could try walking up a couple of flights, with your support,” he said to Felix.

“Whatever you want, Dee.”

“All right then, let’s go.”

Peter and I watched as the group disappeared up the stairs. Anton took Demetri’s crutches while Felix offered his steady arm for Demetri to use in addition to the railing as he slowly climbed the stairs.

“I hate seeing him like that,” Peter muttered angrily.

“I understand.”

“He never should have been hurt like that. If I’d...”

“Had the strength of five men or kept him locked up in the house or with a constant slew of bodyguards?” I guessed. “Look, what happened was not your fault. Everyone seems to realize it but you. You can’t wrap him in a bubble. He could just as easily have fallen somewhere, or been in a car accident. Shit happens. We just need to deal with it and move on. He needs your strength, not your guilt.”

Now I finally saw that resentful glare I’d been expecting all night. I waited for Peter to lay into me, but although he opened his mouth, nothing came out. Then he seemed to deflate and the anger visibly left him.

“I know you’re right and you’re not the first to say it. It’s just hard.”

“I know. Trust me. I’ve lived with the same kind of guilt a lot longer than you. I’m not sure it’ll ever be completely gone, but then I actually have something to feel guilty about. You don’t. What happened to the two of you was not your fault!” I repeated with emphasis.

Peter looked down at his shoes. Then, as if inspired by something, he walked over to the island and began to spread sauce on the three remaining pizzas.

“We may as well bake these for you. You can have them tomorrow or the next day.”

I was happy to start cooking myself, but I didn’t want to refuse the gesture.

“I know what Jasper likes, but I don’t remember your preferences,” he said.

“I’ll have the same.”

He nodded and topped all three pizzas in the same way before placing all three in the oven. He turned back to the island and started covering the ingredient dishes, combining some together.

“Let me put those in the cooler,” I offered, holding out my hand. He hesitated for the briefest moment before handing me a container.

“I’m sorry I was such an asshole that night,” he said quietly. I could tell he meant it, and also that it was taking a lot for him to actually make the admission.

“Apology accepted,” I told him, “but only because Jasper told me you apologized for making him feel the way you did.”

“I didn’t mean it,” he shook his head.

“What you said, or the apology?” I asked, because I still wasn’t sure.

“My apology was sincere,” he snapped. “I didn’t mean what I said to him. Or, at least, I didn’t mean it the way he took it. I guess I have been overprotective and maybe I haven’t always given him enough credit. Maybe I have second-guessed his decisions, at least with regard to dating.”

“I’m glad you were watching out for him, but he’s not a little kid. He knows what he wants.”

“I realize that, but it would be easier if he wanted someone other than you.”

I tried very hard not to take his words personally. I flashed back to when Derek resurfaced in Cliff’s life. I wanted to keep them apart too, knowing their history, but I was as wrong then as Peter was now.

“He does want you, though,” Peter continued, “and he says you’ve changed. Your other friends obviously think highly of you and almost everything online about you is positive. Plus, I know what you did for your friends last week, and Dimi told me how hard you worked to make sure Jasper would co-own this house with you and still be protected, even if it didn’t work out between you.”

“I did it more in case something happened to me,” I threw in.

“Maybe, but it works the same anyway, right?”

“Yeah, it does,” I admitted.

“Dimi also told me how you pulled every string you could to make sure the bastard who hurt Jasper before gets what’s coming to him.”

“I’ve been planning that for a long time. Just wish I could have done it sooner, but he was too damn smart. Even now, we can’t be sure he’s not going to find some way to slip through the cracks. Slime like him has a way of doing that. But I did everything I could.”

“Jasper knows that, and as much as I wish he never had to think about that asshole again, I hope this time the justice system works and he’s put away for life. That will give Jas some closure.”

“We’re on the same page there.”

“So with all that, and with Dimi and the other guys telling me I’m being a judgmental prick, I guess I finally saw that maybe I overreacted.”

“Maybe?”

“Okay, I definitely overreacted. If you’re willing to, I’d like to start over. Maybe not from scratch, ‘cause I can’t make myself forget everything, but at least on a more neutral level.”

“Like an audition?”

“No. Not like that. I don’t know, to be honest. But watching you with him tonight, seeing both of you so happy together, I guess I can imagine a future, a long future, for the two of you. And I don’t want to be left out of that because I was a know-it-all who made a losing bet. I love Jasper too much for that.”

“How much?”

“Huh?”

“How much do you love Jasper?” I asked quietly. After seeing him with Demetri, I was hopeful about his answer, but I still needed to know.

“You still think I want him that way? We’re just friends. Even when we met, we weren’t more than that.”

“Friends with benefits,” I pointed out.

“Only in the very beginning, and only because you were pretending to be straight. Do you for a second imagine anything would have happened between him and me if you’d come out before he and I met? And just to be clear, it’s not just because he’s not interested in me. I don’t love him like that. I’m not saying I couldn’t, if he’d been available, but he never was. And since I’ve found Dimi, there couldn’t be anyone else.”

“Okay.” I believed him. I kind of knew it already, but I felt better hearing it all from him.

“Okay.” He said with finality.

“So you want to be a part of our lives, as Jasper’s friend, and you’re willing to tolerate me to do it.”

“As Jasper’s friend first, but I hope with time we can be friends too. Dimi already thinks of you that way. And ‘tolerate’ is not a word I use to describe how I feel about friends.”

“So you’re giving me a chance?”

“Yeah, if you’ll give me one.”

“Done,” I held out my hand across the island. He reached out and shook it. Then he looked at me from beneath his long lashes.

“Oh, hell,” he said. He walked quickly around the island. “That’s not the way friends seal a deal,” he said as he walked up and hugged me. Surprisingly, he didn’t hesitate, and while it was unexpected, I returned the warm hug with a lot of enthusiasm.

“Okay, then,” I said when he stepped away after we ended the hug with mutual pats on the back. “I guess it’s a new beginning all around today.”

“Yeah. I’m glad. Maybe I’ll get a little peace at home now.” He gave a short laugh.

“I’m glad too, for all our sake, but especially Jasper’s. He missed you.”

“I missed him too. But I deserved that. Lesson learned.”

“Jasper can be really hard core sometimes,” I admitted.

“I haven’t seen that side of him often, so I forgot. I’m glad, even though I’d rather it not be directed at me.”

“After tonight, I’m sure it won’t be.”

We shared a moment of silent contemplation and then I looked around the kitchen. “So, I guess we should finish cleaning up.” I suggested and he nodded. Wordlessly, he turned on the faucet and used our newly purchased sponge and dishwater soap to scrub the individual pizza pans. I grabbed a dishcloth and dried.

***

“Thanks again, guys, for everything,” I told Demetri and Peter as Felix, Anton and I loaded the last folding chairs into the back of the van. We’d already said goodbye to Nasir, who had an early call scheduled at work the next day and had his car service pick him up for the short drive home.

“It was our pleasure. Now go back in there and christen the fuck out of the place, literally,” Demetri said with a broad smile. He was leaning on Peter for support, but was obviously in good spirits.

“That’s the plan,” Jasper drawled and my dick hardened.

“Are you guys sure we can’t give you a ride home?” Peter directed the question to the other four men who were leaving.

“Nah, you guys did enough tonight. Go home and get some rest. It’s easier for us to grab cabs than to have you driving all around Manhattan,” Francis declined.

“As long as you are taking cabs and not the subway or walking,” Peter said, sounding like he needed reassurance.

“I’ll make sure they get in a cab,” Felix stated firmly. Of the four of them, Francis and Cam were the more vulnerable couple. If Felix and Anton took a cab home, it would be mostly for speed and convenience. Peter, however, decided to ignore this reality.

“Not just them, you two as well, OK?”

A very brief look passed between Felix and Demetri. I didn’t know either of them well enough to figure out what it meant.

“Yeah, we’ll take a cab too. Promise, mom,” Felix teased. Peter rolled his eyes.

“Think what you want, just be safe.”

Felix looked like he might want to say something contrary, but Anton leaned back against him and cut in with, “That’s always good advice, and we will.”

We all exchanged hugs and a bit more small talk and then we watched as Peter got Demetri settled in the passenger seat of the van and circled around to the driver’s side. He started the engine and pulled out onto the street. We waved as he pulled away.

“We’ll be going too. Thanks for inviting us to the housewarming and sorry we couldn’t be more help. If you ever need to move anything on the weekends, just give us a call,” Felix spoke for the remaining four men.

“You can call me if you want help loading up the dumb waiter,” Cam added with an impish grin, “or if you’re bored during the week and need a lunch buddy.”

Francis, who already had an arm wrapped around Cam’s shoulder, gave it a squeeze and sent me an approving smile. He definitely didn’t mind the idea and, in fact, seemed glad that his boyfriend was taking initiative.

“Thanks, guys,” I told them all. “We appreciate you coming by and we value your friendship far beyond moving help.”

“Which doesn’t mean we won’t take you up on your offer at some point,” Jasper added with a smile. “Edward’s right, though. It was great having you here. We’re really lucky to have such good friends. And we’ll have  real party just as soon as we’re completely moved in and have some more furniture.”

“You’ve got the most important piece of furniture in the bedroom. Everything else can wait,” Anton joked.

“That’s exactly what we thought when we picked out the bedroom set last weekend,” I acknowledged.

“And speaking off, we’re gonna head off so you can test that out. Are you going out with us this weekend or will you still be in testing mode?” Felix teased.

“We’ll let you know then,” Jasper said and we all laughed.

The easy banter and teasing in the group was such a pleasure, it almost made Manhattan feel like home. It helped that in this group there was no one intent on needling me as much as Seth always did at home. As I stood with Jasper’s warm body leaning lazily against mine, watching his friends depart, I felt a sense of complete contentment that only improved when Jasper looked back at me with a sexy droop to his eyes.

“The kitchen’s all clean, right? Because I really want to follow their suggestion and get upstairs.”

“The kitchen’s as clean as it needs to be tonight. Let’s go to bed.”

We walked up the stairs to the house and locked the front door behind us before heading up one flight to the master bedroom level.

“It looks great, exactly how I imagined when we found it,” Jasper said approvingly as he cast his eyes over the newly delivered furniture.

“Mmm, I especially love this bed.” I caressed the curved top of the slatted footboard on the king size, cherry wood bed frame that was the perfect combination of our preferred sleigh and mission styles. We’d dressed the bed earlier, using the bedding we’d bought over the weekend and had the hotel launder for us so that it would be ready for use as soon as we moved in. We chose a duvet cover and shams in a geometric pattern and mineral green color to compliment the green marble around the fireplace. The sheets were white with decorative geometric accents embroidered in the same mineral green shade. The bed looked pretty, but at the moment all I wanted was to change that look to slept in or, better yet, fucked in.

“I’ve been dying to get you in it all night!” Jasper grabbed the front of my shirt to pull me closer and pressed his lips to mine in a passionate kiss. Instead of responding verbally, I returned the kiss and wrapped my arms around him, flipping us over so that we landed on the bed, him on top of me. His weight knocked the breath out of my lungs, but it wasn’t enough for me to break the kiss. I inhaled thought my nose and kept one arm tightly wrapped around his torso while moving the other hand to comb through his soft hair that had, by now, grown out enough to form the soft golden waves I remembered from our youth.

“You’re so beautiful,” I said later, when we were finally willing to pause the sensual kiss. I moved my hand from his hair to trace the contours of his face. “I thought that from the moment I first saw you, not that I would have used that word back then. But you were, and are, beautiful.”

His small smile was gentle and shy; his cheeks lightly flushed.

“You’re the beautiful one. Always were and still are. That amazing bronze hair, and those green eyes, the chiseled chin and this noble nose,” his fingertips grazed each body part as he spoke.

“Noble nose?” I teased.

“It is. You’re like a Roman sculpture.”

“Wouldn’t that make it philosophical instead of noble?”

“That was the Greeks. The Romans did more fighting than theorizing.”

“True.”

“And they spread those noble noses everywhere as they conquered, even England. Who knows, maybe your Cullen ancestors can be traced back to Rome?”

I laughed. “I suppose it’s possible. Doubtful, but possible. Frankly, I can’t think of my Cullen ancestors as noble, regardless of their origin, though it may be unfair to judge them solely by the actions of my father.”

“Even noble families have their black sheep. But if you don’t mind, I’d just as soon keep your father, and all other men, out of this bed.”

“You and me both. I’m not the one who brought up my an-”

He silenced me with another kiss and I wasn’t about to protest. I loved the feel of his lips and tongue slipping against mine as the weight of his body pressed me into the mattress - our mattress, in our bedroom, in our home.

My hands roamed over his shirt before I grew impatient and tugged it up to feel the hot, smooth skin of his back.  I began to knead the muscles, finding small knots of tension undoubtedly caused by the move and massaging them away.

“Feels so good,” Jasper said, kissing his way along my jaw to my ear and down the side of my neck, occasionally nipping the skin. “I might have some tension a little lower.”

“Here?”

I moved my hands to his lower back to tease him.

“Lower.”

“Here?”

I slipped my fingers beneath the waistband of his cotton pants and boxer briefs and dug them into the tops of his butt cheeks.

“A little lower.”

His husky voice raised goose bumps on my skin. My hands disappeared into his jeans, each grabbing a healthy handful of his ass.

“Ahh, that’s it right there. Keep going,” he murmured. He placed a kiss above my right clavicle and then sucked in the skin, deliberately pulling it in through his teeth hard enough to leave a mark. I arched my back, offering myself up as I dug my fingers into the muscles of his backside, our erections pressing together though the frustrating layers of clothing.

“Wearing too much,” I complained.

“Entirely,” he agreed.

We stopped what we were doing to fumble with each other’s clothes, removing each piece as quickly as possible. It was a challenge not to stop when I pulled down his pants and underwear to reveal his hard, long cock, but I ignored temptation and focused on stripping him completely before returning to play. I smirked a little when I noticed him struggling to overcome a similar dilemma.

“Want you so bad,” he said when we were finally both completely nude. He hovered above me, hands and knees planted on the mattress on either side of my torso, the moist head of his hard cock kissing mine and his voice thick with desire. I reached and pulled him down on top of me again, still loving the pressure of his weight, now enhanced by direct skin to skin contact.

“Want you more,” I told him with absolute certainty. He shook his head, but neither of us wanted to waste any more time on pointless comparisons.

Hands and lips explored, limbs and bodies slid against each other and erections grew harder with additional heat and friction. Precum dripped alternately onto my stomach and his as we rolled over in our frenzied foreplay. We grabbed, massaged, rubbed and caressed each other’s bodies, studiously avoiding our cocks and balls, neither of us wanting to be the one to cut short the tortuous erotic anticipation. 

My endurance had almost reached its limit when Jasper finally gave in and wrapped his hand around my turgid, leaking, aching cock.

“Need this, you. Inside me. Right now,” he said urgently, stroking my shaft. I felt my already tight nutsac constrict further and reached down to still his hand.

“If you keep stroking me, this is as close as I’ll get.”

He let out a whine and bent his head to suck on the tight nub of my nipple, but he also relaxed his hand.

“I need to get you ready.” I scrambled out from under him to reach for the drawer of the craftsman-style nightstand on my side of the bed.

“Do you think the furniture store conveniently pre-loaded the drawers with lube?” he smirked.

“Inconsiderately enough, they didn’t. But I did, when I was up here earlier.” I said triumphantly as I pulled out the bottle, enjoying the surprised look on his face. “I told you I’d never forget again.”

I crawled over to him and placed the lube within easy reach.

“I thought you were going to get me ready?” he groaned.

“I am, in a second. I just need to...” I lowered my head and ran the breadth of my tongue from his taint, over his balls and up the length of his shaft, from root to the very tip, making him gasp and his body contract with pleasure. He was so hard, the head of his dick hovered above the pool of precum coating his stomach beneath his belly button. I tilted my face and inserted my tongue into this empty space, to lick the precum without touching his glistening, engorged head. We both groaned, his laced with frustration and mine with pleasure at tasting a flavor that was a familiar and unmistakable mixture of our emissions.

“Killing me,” he complained. “Please!”

I grinned, enjoying how close he was to the edge.  I licked up more of the precum and crawled up, kissing him to share my tasty find. His tongue swept over mine, diligently sweeping up the offering. I moved my lips to his Adam’s apple and sucked on it as he swallowed and gave a satisfied sigh.

“I love the way that feels, but I’d rather have your lips elsewhere right now,” he chided.

I chuckled, but obediently retreated to my previous position, exhaling over his heated cock head. His foreskin was stretched tautly over his erection, only a couple of small folds beneath the helmet rim evidencing its existence. I bent my head and took one of the folds gently between my teeth, tugging at it before soothing it with my tongue. Jasper gasped and tilted his head up to look at me.

“You’ve never done that before.”

“Like it?”

“It’s different. It...helps.”

I knew what he meant and I smiled, pleased. I’d intended the slight bit of pain to help take the edge off. Of course, the point of taking the edge off was to put him right back on it again, so without hesitation I sucked his head and a few inches of his shaft into my welcoming mouth. This time his gasp was accompanied by an arch of his hips, thrusting his cock deeper into my mouth along the roof nearly to the back of my throat. He immediately lowered his hips but I clamped my lips around his shaft and followed him down, suckling and releasing none of his length.

“Fuck!” He moved his hands to my head, fingers sliding through my hair. “Don’t make me come!”

I knew he wasn’t quite there yet, but I had no intention of testing his limits so I eased off on the suction and slowly pulled off his rod, releasing the head with a satisfying slurpy pop.

“Delicious,” I told him, swallowing the precum that had dripped into my mouth. “I could live on that, on you.”

“Probably not,” he chuckled. “It’s not nearly as nutritious as people think, and I need you nice and healthy.”

“Yeah? You have plans for me?”

“You know it.”

“Like what?”

“Like using that tongue to get my ass ready for your cock!” he demanded with a groan. “I told you I needed you in me hours ago.”

“It’s been a few minutes,” I chuckled as I slid lower while reaching to reposition him so that his beautiful puckered entrance was easier for me to reach. He spread his legs and used his strong core muscles to help keep the ideal position.

“Is this what you want?” I teased, flicking the tip of my tongue against his taint.

“You’re getting closer. A bit lower.”

“Here?” I ran the tip of my tongue along the length of his crack, inhaling his heady, musky aroma.

“A-huh. More!”

I repeated the action and then, without further teasing, ran my tongue around the rim of his hole. It twitched deliciously  in anticipation of my breach. I circled it again and again, letting saliva drip from my lips onto the furrowed, sensitive skin before curling my tongue and pressing it inside.

“Fuuuck!” he cried as I thrust my tongue as far as I could inside him, feeling his warmth all around. I grasped his ass cheeks and kneaded them roughly while piercing him again and again. Between every few pokes I would either flatten my tongue and give broad, wet licks over the surface of his hole or run my tongue along the rim. Each action elicited grunts and groans from him that were growing with volume and need.

I released one of his cheeks and sucked my pointing and middle finger, plunging them inside him as soon as they were sufficiently coated with my copious spit. I knew he was ready and relaxed enough to skip the single finger preliminaries. He hissed as I penetrated and lifted his hips to pull me in deeper. I lapped at his balls while I slowly pulled my fingers out and pushed back in. Out of the corner of my eye I saw our new duvet cover bunched up inside his fist as he tried to stay still. My instinct kicked in and I felt a primal need to possess the control he was clinging to so desperately. I plunged my fingers in as deep as I could and curved them inside him, finding his pleasure gland. I began massaging it, my deliberate caress designed to drive him wild. His hips undulated beneath me and the scrotum that I was liberally laving with my saliva tightened again.

“Edward, don’t,” he pleaded, his voice strained.

“You want me to stop?”

“Yes, no! Don’t stop, just ease off a little,” he panted, fighting a losing battle against my relentless ministrations.

“How can I, when you’re so gorgeous like this? So aroused and sexy; so receptive and pliant,” I rubbed his prostate a little harder and delighted at seeing more precum drip out of his slit onto his stomach.

“I want to come with you inside me.”

“I want that too, more than anything. But who said you only get to come once tonight?”

I eased the pressure on his prostate in favor of deep finger fucking, his warm channel eagerly grasping my digits. Jasper bucked, causing my tongue to slip from his balls to his taint. I growled with displeasure at such displacement, and decided it was time to exert even more control. I shifted my body up and returned my mouth to his cock. I massaged the crown with my lips while teasing the slit with the tip of my tongue even as I continued to thrust my fingers in and out of his clutching hole. Now I didn’t mind his bucking, knowing each movement elevated his level of arousal. He whimpered and thrashed his head from side to side, but made no move to stop me. It was so gratifying to know that he didn’t mind me taking charge like this, to feel how much he loved it.

Determined to push him further, I swallowed more of his shaft. It took another shift in my position before I could curl my spine enough to take him far enough so that the crown which I’d just been suckling was lodged in my throat. I swallowed around him and circled the tips of my fingers over his prostate, causing him to thrust up and impale his cock deeper.

“Oh, shit,” he whimpered. I sucked deeply and felt his body start to quiver. I knew he was teetering closer and closer to the edge. I wanted to take him right up to it before pulling him back. I eased off his prostate but not the suction. Still able to breathe through my nose, I was not about to let his cock go. I swallowed around him again and felt a shudder, then another involuntary thrust. He was so close and I was getting there too, despite the fact that no one had even touched my cock in what felt like hours.

“Too close, please,” he begged as I gave another deep suck and caressed his pleasure spot. His whole body shook and that was my signal. I pulled my fingers out of his ass and tightly encircled the base of his cock with my thumb and forefinger, lifting my head to look at him to make sure I wasn’t too late.

His head was thrown back and he panted through parted lips. His cheeks and chest were flushed and his hands were still curled into fists around the duvet. He was flailing over the precipice, desperately trying to maintain his balance. I tightened the circle I’d made at the base of his cock to help. I was afraid to speak, not knowing which way the sound of my voice might sway him. For a second, time stood indecisively still.

He gave a short exhale but held his breath a moment before he inhaled, deeper and slower than before. I let out the breath I’d held as I watched. He took several slow breaths before tilting his head up toward me and opening his eyes.

“You are a devil,” he accused without any malice.

“You are an angel. My stunningly beautiful angel. I wish you could have seen yourself. I nearly came  just from watching you.”

“I’ve never been that close without actually coming.”

“Are you sorry? I could easily...”

“No! I want to come with you inside me, preferably while you’re coming inside me. My body may be frustrated, but the rest of me is so glad you stopped, especially my heart.”

I let go of his still very rigid dick and slithered up until I was lying beside him. He turned his head and I kissed him, slowly and deeply.

“My only goal tonight is to please every part of you. Most especially your heart.”

Our racing pulses calmed as our lips engaged in a sensual slow dance, then sped up again when the kisses grew in intensity. Our hands roamed, Jasper’s winding its way down my chest to grasp my throbbing, aching cock. He stroked me slowly but purposefully, looking directly into my eyes.

“Make love to me.”

He shifted to his side and wrapped his leg around mine, then used the leverage and his considerable strength to pull me over so that I was on top of him. He lifted and spread his legs, digging the heels of his feet into my butt and thrusting his pelvis up to meet me at the same time, our hard cocks pressed deliciously against one another.

I loved our direct skin to skin contact and was reluctant to move away, but I knew it was necessary.  I moved to kneel between his wide-spread legs and reached for the lube. He took the bottle, pressed down on one side to open the cap and squeezed a liberal dollop of the gel onto my fingers.

“Get us ready, Tiger,” he encouraged.

He looked positively wanton, his long limbs spread to expose his most intimate places for my exploration. His always full lips were red and swollen from our kisses and his eyes were dilated with lust. My cock throbbed, eager to accept the invitation.

I warmed the gel in my hand and then pressed the slick fingers against his opening, coating his entrance and channel generously. He was sufficiently ready and relaxed that my two fingers sank in easily with little resistance. I added a third to make sure he was sufficiently stretched, and then used the residual lube to slick up my eager cock. I leaned forward over him and leaned down to kiss him.

“Guide me in,” I requested hotly when the kiss broke and we both panted with anticipation.

He reached down to take hold of my cock and shifted his body until my head tapped against his hole.

“Your turn. Fill me. Fuck me so hard and long I forget my name!”

I pushed against his sphincter and was happy to feel that all the preparations succeeded in easing the way. I didn’t need to go slow or give him time to adjust. We were both ready and I sank in balls deep with a single thrust.

“Now you’re home,” Jasper murmured. His eyes were closed, but his face was a portrait of satisfaction. My heart swelled, knowing I’d put that look there.

“You feel amazing,” I told him, basking in the caressing warmth of his smooth, tight channel sheathing me for the first time with no artificial barriers between us.

“You do too. Even better than I imagined.”

He wrapped his arms around my neck and pulled me down so that I rested fully on his body as he held me close. Without the leverage necessary for big movements, I pumped my hips in shorter, slower thrusts, pulling out only about a quarter of the way before sinking back in as far as I could go. In this position, I was just shy of balls deep, but it hardly mattered. I felt him surrounding me everywhere it counted..

“It’s so good. I feel so much more this way. I feel all of you, so hot and hard,” he whispered urgently into my ear. “I love this, love you!”

He canted his hips to meet my shallow thrusts and deepen the penetration. We rocked together in perfect harmony, slow enough to keep us on that painful edge without pushing us into the abyss.

“Ever since I realized I was gay and learned about gay sex, I’ve wanted to feel you inside me like this. These last few months, the wait was torture,” Jasper spoke slowly, almost dreamily. His voice was muffled by my hair where he’d buried his lips as I kissed and sucked his neck. 

“I’ve wanted this too. There aren’t words to describe this feeling, being completely surrounded by you, feeling you everywhere.” I raised my head and waited for him to open his eyes to look at me. “I want you to feel it too, for yourself. And I want to feel what you’re feeling right now. I want you to make love to me, Jas.”

“Soon,” he promised with more confidence and enthusiasm than I’d heard from him in the past, “but right now I need you to move!”

“Move?” I levered my body up above him again, Sliding my knees up to where I felt the heat of his butt cheeks without quite touching them. I spread my legs a bit and sat back, grabbing him behind the knees and tilting him up. “Like this?” I pulled out halfway and quickly pushed all the way back in. He hissed as the head of my cock brushed over his prostate.

“More!”

I caressed his hamstrings, running both hands down the back of his legs as I leaned in to insert my shoulders where hands had just been. I braced my hands on the mattress beside his hips and leaned forward, marveling at the ease and grace with which his body curled beneath me. I pressed forward again along the backs of his legs so that his ankles rested on my shoulders while, at the same time, I pushed my legs back to turn my body in a plank.

“I think you meant this,” I told him, looking down into his eyes. I pulled up, withdrawing my cock until only the head remained inside him and then plunged right back down.

“Oah,” his breath came out somewhere between a whine and a grunt. “Yeah!” He nodded. He’d dropped his hands to the mattress before, but now moved them up to squeeze my flexed biceps.

I pumped my hips, conscious of every inch where my skin came into direct contact with his. With each thrust I shifted and modified my position until I finally saw the expression I was looking for in his face and knew I’d pegged his internal gland. That’s when I switched to repetition, pistoning in and out of him with as much precision as I could muster to bring him the maximum about of pleasure.

“Oh my God. Oh my God!” His fingers dug into my biceps in a way that was sure to leave bruises. I didn’t care, ignoring both the pain and the pressure building in my balls as I jackhammered his prostate from above. I waited until his whole body was quivering beneath me and then I stilled, my throbbing cock sheathed fully inside him, both of us on the very brink of orgasm.

“What? Don’t stop! I’m right there.” His eyes popped open with accusation.

“Me too,” I panted with exhaustion. Sweat, which had beaded on my skin, now rolled down my cheek and dripped down onto his chest. “I just. Want. To Make. It last. A little. Longer.” I breathed between every couple of words. “Still good?”

“Still great, wonderful, amazing.” he let go or one of my biceps to wipe the perspiration off my forehead. “Just don’t stop again. I’m so ready to come.”

He moved his hand and I knew he intended to grab his cock but I shook my head. “Wait. It’ll be better if we wait.”

I lowered my forehead to his, wishing I could make it last forever. I felt his frustration, matching my own. After we got our test results, we limited sex to hand jobs and blowjobs over the weekend, and refrained altogether since Monday.

“The anticipation will make it that much better, and I want these boys at their full potency the first time you fill me up,” Jasper had teased, massaging my balls. It hadn’t been easy to abstain from sex, but I agreed with the reasoning and there was plenty of shopping and planning to provide distraction. Now, though, buried inside him and throbbing with need, I almost regretted foregoing the relief. My burning desire to come was battling my wish for more lasting power, and winning.

“Tiger?” He moved his hand up to rub my cheek.

“Hmm?”

“We’ve waited long enough.”

I exhaled with relief. “Shit, you’re so right.”

Instinctively, my hips found the rhythm I forced myself to abandon. This time it only took a few thrusts to find the perfect aim. With his audible encouragement, I pounded into him, driving him into the mattress. Any worry I might have had about hurting him was erased by his obvious enthusiasm. His cries of pleasure and muscle twitches told me I was on the right path, and close to reaching our destination. My universe narrowed into a single pinpoint of purpose - to plug his hot, slick hole with my hard, pulsing cock and release the torrents of cum that we’d both stored un just for this moment.

“Fuck, so close. I can’t stop,” I warned him when the pressure to release became too great to contain. My body stuttered, my thrusts losing their precision and growing erratic.

“Me too. Oh Shit!”

He shuddered as a stream of cum shot out with whip-like force, hitting my chest. The second stream landed on his neck and Adam’s apple, and the next few coated his chest and stomach. The convulsions of his orgasm forced my release and I flooded him with spurt after spurt of my cream. We both shook as I tried to keep thrusting, our bodies seemingly determined to drain us of all ejaculate. My strength drained out with my cum and I collapsed on top of him before I could be sure that he was completely spent. I only knew I had nothing left.

For some time we both simply lay together, gasping for breath. Just as we’d hoped, the lovemaking had brought us closer than we’d ever been before. When I tried to shift off him to help ease his breathing he wrapped his arms around me and held me in place. We stayed that way until my cock finally began to soften and slipped out of him, along with some of the fluid that I’d deposited deep inside him.

“So that’s how it feels,” he murmured. “I wondered. I like it,” He spoke softly.

“Yeah?”

“Mmm. I wouldn’t want this with anyone else, but with you it’s a reminder of how much we love and trust and mean to each other.”

“You mean everything to me. Never forget that.”

“Now that I’ve actually dared to believe it, I’ll never forget. And don’t you forget that you’re my everything too. My dream come true.”

I was already in a state of post-coital bonelessness, but those words melted me more. We shifted and our lips met for a breathtaking, heart-stopping kiss.

“It is messy, though,” he commented sometime later.

“Does it bother you?”

“Nope. Just glad you talked me out of buying that dry clean only duvet cover.”

I chuckled.

“I’m glad I insisted on buying two sets of bedding. It’ll save me from spending my first morning here doing laundry.”

I offered to get towels to clean us off, but Jasper refused.

“Just this once, let’s go to sleep as we are.”

I would have been too tired to protest even if I wanted to, which I didn’t. The fact that he didn’t want to erase evidence of our coupling made it that much more special. I pulled down the bedding and we slipped beneath the covers.

“Is the alarm set?” Jasper asked sleepily. I glanced towards his nightstand and confirmed that it was.

“I wish you didn’t have to go to work tomorrow.”

“Me too, but I can’t take any more days off. I hate leaving you to set up the house all by yourself.”

“I’ll save the really important stuff for the weekend. Now go to sleep, or you’ll be a walking zombie at work.”

“Rahr, I want your braaaaaaain,” he teased, snapping his jaw.

“Is that what you want?”

“No,” he turned serious. “I want all of you, every bit.”

“Oh good. Relationships work best when both people want the same things.”

He rolled towards me, resting his cheek on my chest and throwing his leg over mine.

“I’m glad we waited. Tonight was special.”

“Our first night together in our home. Doesn’t get more special than that.”

“I can still feel you seeping out of me, you know.”

“What can I say? The Cullen essence is a gift that keeps on giving.”

“I love it. I love you!”

 “I love you too, more than I can put into words. In fact, I love you too much to let you stay up any longer. Goodnight, Jas.”

He tilted his head up and our lips brushed sweetly together.

“Goodnight.”

I reached for the bedside lamp to turn it off, expecting to return right back to my former position beneath him. He had something else in mind.

“Can I hold you tonight?”

“Of course.”

I curled back against him, letting him play the big spoon.

“Mine,” I heard him whisper as he pulled me closer.

“All yours,” I agreed. I lay back against him, absorbing the warmth of his naked skin, and listened to his slowing breathing as he drifted off to sleep before I did the same.

***

When the alarm went off the next morning, Jasper insisted that I stay in bed. On a different day I might have protested, but I didn’t want to start off our first morning in our home with an argument, however small. I watched him pad naked to the adjoining bathroom and close the door behind him. It took a lot of restraint not to follow all that temptation, but in the end I closed my eyes and imagined what he was doing in the shower to the faint sound of running water, which eventually put me back to sleep.

It was almost nine thirty when I woke up again, a very late morning for me, especially considering the bright light streaming through the bedroom french doors. I grimaced and added light-blocking curtains to the shopping list in my head. I liked waking up with the sun, but Jasper preferred to sleep in and I wanted him to have that option whenever he could take advantage of it.

Once the wheels started turning, there was no way to stop my mind from going over my plans for the rest of the day. I decided to multitask and go over the list in the shower. I liked the large stall and the option to bypass the multiple showerheads in favor of one to conserve water, though I would have preferred to have Jasper in there with me. He had thoughtfully hung my towel on the heated towel rack and I had to admit the feature was welcome, the warmed towel warding off the November chill. The zoned heating and cooling installed by the previous owners of the home was another welcome conservation feature, but the system had no way of knowing I’d slept in and had already turned the temperature on this floor down for the day. As a result, I dried myself off quickly and huddled under the towel as I picked out my clothes for the day. We were by no means done unpacking - one of the many tasks that fell to me to complete while Jasper was at work - but we’d taken out enough clothes to tide us over until the job was done.

Dressed, I finished getting ready and jogged down two flights of stairs to the kitchen, where I brewed myself a coffee in our single-serving brewing machine. I’d been reluctant to give into the fad for these machines, resenting the excessive use of plastic in the brewing cups, until Jasper pointed out the availability of reusable filters that eliminated the need to purchase the landfill cluttering disposable varieties. Now our kitchen was stocked with the single use machine and a dozen reusable filters which we could use with all of our favorites coffee brands.

The unfurnished kitchen felt empty and silent, so I pulled out my phone to stream some music while I made myself toast and a fried egg for breakfast. I ate standing at the kitchen island, looking out to the slice of the raised back yard I could see beneath the first floor deck. The home was ours, but it would definitely take time and a lot more furniture before it became homey.

Rapidly moving up to the top of my to do list was a call to Antoine, the interior decorator and home staging expert who had been recommended to Jasper by a friend. After taking the previous weekend to find the perfect bedroom furniture, Jasper and I realized that all other permanent decisions and searches would have to be put off until after the holidays. I wasn’t thrilled with the concept, but it made sense given that we wanted to host visitors for Christmas and our considerable time limitations.

I washed the dishes and went back up to the master suite and the closet. Turning on my Bluetooth headset, I unpacked another box of clothes while setting up an appointment with Antoine. He was in the middle of staging another home, but since Jasper was a friend of a friend he agreed to stop by in the afternoon to make an assessment of our needs. I hung up not knowing what to think of him. His voice had been that overly feminine and affected droll that was stereotypically ubiquitous among interior designers, and the tone made it known that while he might be the paid consultant, his clients were the undeserving he was gracious enough to endow with his valuable time. The attitude may have worked for straight people, but it annoyed me that he also used it with family. Still, we didn’t know anyone else who could get us the temporary furnishings we needed in a hurry. I could bite my tongue and put up with him looking down his nose at me for a few hours to give Jasper the time he needed to concentrate on his job at the busiest time of the year.

In a groove, I emptied two more boxes of Jasper’s clothes and shoes when my phone rang. Cliff’s name and number came up on the screen and my initial surprise was almost instantly replaced with trepidation. It had been over three weeks since I spoke with him last, back when I still lived in Washington and assumed Jasper would be moving there, back when Derek had yet to make a decision about a dream job offer. With all the changes in my life and everything that happened since my arrival in New York, I hadn’t made time to call to get an update. As I pressed the button to answer the call, I said a quick prayer that Cliff wasn’t about to deliver bad news.

“Hey Cliff,” I said, trying to sound upbeat.

“Hey, Edward. Hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

“No. I’m in the same time zone as you are now, so it’s not even that early. I don’t know if you heard-”

“That you decided to move to New York? Yeah, the little brother network worked its magic. Heard you found a house there, too. I was calling to say congratulations.”

“Oh. Thanks,” it was funny how it still took me by surprise that everything I told Troy eventually made its way to Cliff. The reverse was also true, though I had a feeling not to the same extent. Troy hadn’t given me any news updates on Cliff lately.

“Leo forwarded the pictures. The house looks beautiful. And pretty spacious for just two guys.”

“Yeah. It is a little much for the two of us, but that’s what you get if you want to live in the neighborhood we are and want your own yard. As it was, we were lucky to stumble into a find after a sale deal went sideways. Anyway, too much room is better than not enough, and believe me, we saw some places where there definitely wasn’t enough, even for just two guys.”

Cliff gave a warm chuckle. “That’s more what I would have expected. Everyone always talks about people in Manhattan being crammed into tiny spaces.”

“That might have been interesting for a few weeks, but not long term.”

“And I guess buying a house like that means you’re there for the long term.”

“Yeah. As long as he needs.”

“What happened to him moving to Washington. Wasn’t that the plan when we last spoke? Did he change his mind?”

“Nope, I changed mine. In fact, you had more to do with this change than he did.”

“Huh?”

“During that last call you pointed out how much of a sacrifice Jasper was willing to make for me. I thought about that and realized that I didn’t want him to do that, not when it was so much easier for me to move here.”

“What about everything you left behind?”

“I miss my family and friends, obviously, especially the boys, but we skype and we’ll make time to visit once everything settles down here. As for the rest, I really don’t miss it as much as I thought I would. It’s been pretty busy here.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled again. “House hunting can be exhausting. You all moved in?”

“Not by a long shot. But I’m working on it as we speak.” I hung up clothes from yet another box I unpacked while talking. “How about you? Any news?”

I held my breath for his answer.

“As a matter of fact, yeah. I would have called sooner, but I knew you were busy. Derek...um...”

I bit my lower lip. Despite my best effort, I couldn’t read his tone and had no idea what to expect.

“He turned them down. Last week.”

He must have heard my relieved exhale because he laughed.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“You didn’t. I mean, only a bit. I was almost positive it would go this way, but... I’m really glad for you.”

“Yeah. Thanks. I am too, in a way, though it sucks that he had to give up his dream. You have no idea how much I wish I could change the world so that he could have that job and we could be together.”

“You didn’t make the world and you can’t single handedly change it. As for giving up his dream, I’d say he may have given up a dream, but he held onto the dream, you. Some dreams don’t shine as brightly upon close examination, especially when you realize how much sacrifice they require. You’re the one that shines brightest for him, and it shows.”

“You can be such a cheesy romantic sometimes.” 

“Doesn’t make me wrong.”

“No. You’re not wrong.”

“So he’ll stay at his current job?”

“For now. He’s also looking at other opportunities.  In fact, he’s been approached by another program. They want to meet with him right after the holidays. It would mean traveling right after Christmas, but he does have the time off, so it’s actually kind of convenient.”

“Where?”

“Connecticut.”

I let his answer sink in. I wasn’t a geography expert, but even I knew Connecticut was right next to New York. It was where Cliff’s aunt lived, the one that had once tried to pre-plan our wedding.

“We’ll probably stay with Aunt Cecilia and Uncle Adam. Do you remember them?”

“Yeah, from your graduation,” I said absently, making mental calculations. If Derek got a job in Connecticut, would Cliff try to get a job in Manhattan?  Plenty of people who worked in Manhattan commuted in from Connecticut. The city was big, but the TV industry wasn’t, and it was definitely plausible that Jasper and Cliff could end up working for the same network. My head spun.

“I know you and Jasper will probably be really busy. Heck, you may even be going back to Washington for the holidays...”

“No, we’re staying here.”

“Oh, well, we don’t have to make any plans or anything, but I was thinking if Derek and I are going to be so close, maybe we could meet up, for dinner or something.”

“Sure, if we can make all our schedules work, that would be nice,” I hedged. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the possibility of Jasper meeting Cliff. We were together now and our relationship felt very solid, certainly solid enough to withstand meeting an ex, but what about meeting the ex?

“Are you sure? We don’t have to, if you think it would be too awkward.”

He must have sense my reluctance.

“Will you promise to keep an open mind about him? We went through a bit of a .. thing, with his best friend here. We actually just resolved that last night. And before that Maggie had issues, and I still have to win over Jasper’s Mom. We’re going to stay together no matter what, regardless of who thinks we shouldn’t, but all this work to convince everyone of what we know deep in our hearts is getting old. I just want to be with him and love him without having to justify it to yet another person.”

Cliff took his time replying. I didn’t rush him, but I grew concerned as more time passed.

“Cliff?”

“You’re asking for a lot more than you gave me and Derek.”

“I know. And believe it or not, I’d understand if it was too much, just as I understand now why you cut me off back then. Just as I hope you’ll understand if I have to do the same now.”

“We’re so protective of the men we love,” he mused.

“It’s not a bad thing, even if it feels that way to the person we’re protecting them from.”

“Let’s play this by ear, then. The timing may not work anyway.”

“Okay. For the record? You and Jasper have a lot in common and I think you could be great friends.”

“If I can get past what he did to you before I even met you and he can get past what you and I had while he was away,” Cliff filled in.

It was my turn to stay silent. I caught myself brooding and shook myself out of it.

“Listen, Cliff, I don’t want this conversation to be a downer when it should be a celebration. We’re both with guys we love who love us back. We’re living the dream. And we’re both lucky to have friends who really love us too. I do love you, Cliff, and I’m so fucking happy for you.”

“I love you too, Edward, and I’m happy for you, for both of us. You’re right. We’re really lucky and we should celebrate. You’ve moved on and accepted Derek and I need to do the same with Jasper. I’ll call you when I get the details on our Connecticut trip.”

“Sounds good. Talk to you soon.”

I terminated the call and slipped my phone back into my pocket with a wide smile. The various pieces of my life were finally falling into place.

The one piece that wasn’t quite where it needed to be had been rearing its ugly head all week. Jasper and I were both distraught to hear that James had been up to his old abusive tricks. Although Roberto arrested him based on clear and overwhelming evidence of domestic abuse, the bastard used his connections to make the charges disappear. Enraged and a little desperate to make sure James didn’t evade justice yet again, I reached out to my mother to see if she could tap into any of the old connections my grandfather once used to build his lumber empire. At the same time I had my old PI deliver to Roberto any and all information that could help police build a stronger case against James and I also triggered the covert employee we’d had working within James’ operation to expose his illegal business activities. It was an attack on all fronts with the hopes that at least one would hit the mark and land James Visser behind bars for a good long time or, better yet, forever. If that didn’t work, I hoped to at least crush him financially and ruin his reputation sufficiently so that he’d have to focus all his energies on crawling out of a gutter instead of abusing others.

I’d been in communication with Roberto as well as Seth, Emmett and Rusty all week, so I was well informed about everything that was going on back in Seattle. But despite the good news Jasper and I got the previous day, I was sure it wasn’t over. James was evil but he was also smart. I had set a lot of traps for him to fall into, but I expected him to crawl out and try to fight. Which is why I wasn’t surprised to see Roberto’s name and face pop up on my phone when it rang with an incoming call.

“Is it what we thought?”

“He’ll be out if he can make bail, but he has to surrender his passport and the charges aren’t being dismissed. Between us and the feds, there are enough eyes on him now that no one can sweep this under a rug.”

“I hate to think of him walking around Seattle,” I growled.

“I do too, but he won’t get far. And if it makes you feel better, he didn’t exactly have a restful night?”

“Really? Do tell”

I probably should have been disturbed listening to Roberto, but given who we were talking about, I couldn’t find a shred of remorse. Perhaps the only thing that would have made me feel better would be to lock James in the same cell with Nasir’s brother, and let the two of them kill each other slowly, over time. Barring that, anything that James had to endure was just a taste of his own medicine and could never make up for all the pain he caused others over the years.

“We spoke with Krister and have his statement. It would help if we could get Jasper’s statement too. And yours, if you’re willing.”

“I didn’t ever actually see him do anything, so I don’t know if I’d be much help.”

“You can corroborate Jasper’s account, speak to his physical and mental condition.”

“Sure, no problem. Anything you need. I know Jasper feels the same way, though talking about it will be difficult for him. When do you need us out there? Hopefully Jasper’s boss will understand, though he’s been really busy and he’s taken time off  for the closing-”

“We don’t need you here to take his statement. We can arrange for a video conference through the NYPD. And I’ll work around his schedule. The DA may want to take his deposition and that will probably have to be done here, but that’s down the road.”

“Okay, good. We can easily get to a police station here for the interview. Best time for Jasper would be in the late afternoon or evening.”

“With the time difference, that works best for us too. Can I schedule something tomorrow?”

“Sure. We don’t have plans.”

“Okay. I’ll text you the info when I have it. And Edward, I’ll tell him myself when I talk to him, but please thank Jasper for his help. I know this isn’t easy and I appreciate it.”

“He wants to help. No one wants to stop James more than Jasper. But of course I’ll tell him.”

“Good. How’s the house, by the way?”

“It’s big and empty right now, but we’re working on that. In fact, in twenty minutes I’m meeting with a guy who will help us furnish it temporarily. We decided there’s just too much going on right now to furniture shop, so we’re putting it off until next year.”

Roberto chuckled. “Sounds like you’ve adopted that Manhattan attitude.”

“What do you mean?”

“Around here people rent furniture because they can’t afford to buy it, not because they don’t have time to shop. And they pick out their own, instead of having someone do it for them.”

I laughed. “It is different, I’ll grant you, but it’ll be worth it, I hope.  Things are just moving too fast right now. Jasper swears it’ll slow down after the holidays.”

“Famous last words, mano.”

“Yeah, maybe. Anyway, I should let you go. Say hey to everyone and give Leah a big hug for me, okay?”

“I’ll tell her you said hello.”

I laughed again. We ended the call and I considered texting Jasper to tell him about the interview but decided it would be better to tell him in person after he got home.

***

“This is a gorgeous house. Gorgeous! Great bones!” Antoine gushed. I followed him from room to room, biting my tongue to keep myself from telling him exactly what Jasper and I wanted. He had insisted that he needed to do a first walk through without any distractions to ‘hear the home speak to him’. “But the emptiness is depressing. We need to remedy this immediately!”

“That’s why you’re here,” I agreed. “The sooner we can fill it and make it feel like a home, the better.

“You were very wise to call me. I can tell by the things in the Master Bedroom that you two aren’t completely hopeless when it comes to design - I can’t begin to tell you how many people buy those cookie cutter matchy-matchy bedroom sets that have all the personality of a garden gnome. At least you each chose pieces to reflect your own tastes. Still, even that room could use a touch of my genius.”

I covered up a snort with a cough and hoped he didn’t notice.

“I heard that, Darling, but I’ll let it go this time, only because you haven’t yet seen my portfolio,” he said regally, somehow managing to look down at me from his 5 foot ten height, which included the four inch heel boots. “Obviously we have mountains of work to do and not a single comfortable spot to do it, unless you count your bed.”

“No. That’s not an option.”

“Oh, Darling, please,” he put his hand to his chest in apparently genuine surprise. “What kind of girl do you think I am? I won’t lie and say I’ve never mixed business with pleasure, but the business must be single.”

“I’m glad to hear it, since you know I’m not single, but the bed is nevertheless off limits. It’s reserved for pleasure. We’ll need to find another spot to do business.”

“I suppose the front parlor will do. We can pretend we’re Japanese. They somehow manage to make sitting on the floor seem civilized,” Antoine condescended. I had to give them man credit for either being New York’s finest actor or biggest egotist. The man never broke his “genius” character.

We had just settled in the parlor and looked through the first few pages of Antoine’s portfolio when we heard the sound of a key in the lock.

“And speaking of pleasure, I assume that’s your better, more creative half?”

I barely heard the slight and paid no attention to it as I rose to get the door. It was already half open when I reached it.

“Welcome home,” I said warmly, pulling Jasper into my arms and giving him a long kiss, though not nearly long enough for me. “Sorry I couldn’t meet you at work.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to do that even if you didn’t have anything important going on, which I know you do. Is he here? Oh, hello,” Jasper said, spotting Antoine over my shoulder.

“Hello. You must be Jasper, and I think we’ve met?” Antoine had followed me to the hall and now stood with his eyes narrowed and head cocked to the side. Suddenly he snapped his fingers. “Yes, I remember! It was at Reynard’s birthday party. You were with a delectable chocolate stud. He’s history now, I take it. Is he by chance available?”

“Probably not to anyone who calls him a chocolate stud,” Jasper replied conversationally, “and you may have to beat Rey-Rey off him first. Hi Antoine. I wasn’t sure if you’d remember me, having only met that one time.”

“Girl, I wouldn’t be where I am in this business without my photographic memory. All those catalogs and websites. How would I ever find anything?” Antoine replied airily. He looked at me and added, with an arched brow, “Did I mention I’m a genius?”

This time I sensed the intended humor and laughed in appreciation.

“You may have, once or a dozen times,” I replied and turned to Jasper. “We were just about to start, though the lasagna is in the warming oven, if you’re hungry.”

“He glowers and cooks? Be still my beating heart,” Antoine exclaimed, making Jasper laugh.

“He does a lot more than that. My man has many talents, and the best are reserved just for me,” he replied. He grabbed and squeezed my hand. “But he shouldn’t have to do all this alone. I’m happy to stay and help as much as I can.”

“You’re just in time, then. I was showing Edward my portfolio to see what style appeals to you the most. Then you have to tell me what you’re thinking for each room in terms of specific purposes and pieces. I’ll go home, put together a package and a quote and once you approve, I’ll place the orders and we’ll schedule the installation. I must warn you, though, I probably won’t be able to fit you in until the week after next. I only have three working days next week and I’m already booked solid, plus I’m shorthanded because of the holiday.”

I grimaced. “We were really hoping for something sooner.”

“I can see why,” Antoine pronounced, looking around the empty rooms, “but my hands are tied. You won’t find anyone who can do it quicker. If they’re reputable they’ll be booked up too and if they’re not, they won’t have the talent and connections to make it happen.”

“He’s right, Edward. We’ll just have to make do for a while. Ros and Dimi will probably be able to spare a table and a couple of chairs for downstairs and we’ll just have to spend the rest of the time in bed.” Neither I nor Antoine missed the not so hidden meaning behind his suggestive leer.

“There. Problem solved,” Antoine concluded. “Now, look through these and if you see something you like, let me know. Same things with dislikes. And be specific!”

We spent a good amount of time looking through the portfolio, pointing out pieces we liked and others we hated. For this part, Antoine actually took careful notes, and continued as we explained how we needed to furnish the rooms.

“The short term and long term are pretty much the same. We’ll need all the guest rooms furnished so that our families can visit for Christmas. And we’ll need the dining room to serve Christmas dinner.”

“Should I assume you’ll need the house decorated for the holidays as well?”

Jasper and I looked at each other, panicked. “We didn’t think of that. We have no decorations,” Jasper said.

“Nor do you need any. Why buy and store when you can hire me and have a different theme every year?”

“I like having the same theme every year, but there’s no way we can decorate a house this big on our own this year,” Jasper said sadly.

“Which means that, yes, please include the holidays decorations for this year, at least,” I concluded and Antoine clapped.

“Perfect. We have a plan. And I only have one to do item for you. We really can’t rent mattresses for other than for show, so if your guests will be sleeping in these beds, you need to buy the mattresses. Since you plan to buy the same size beds as the ones you’re renting, it won’t be a problem to keep using them when your permanent furniture arrives.”

“Great idea. I’ll take care of that tomorrow. Heck, maybe I’ll buy a sleeper sofa for the office and we can use that in this room for now. What do you think, Jas?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Okay, well, I think I have everything I need. I’ll call if I have any questions, but it shouldn’t be necessary. I’ll get back to you with a project list and a quote as soon as possible.”

“Yes, please, and thanks,” I told him. “Would you like to stay for dinner? There’s plenty of lasagna.”

“I’ll take a raincheck, Darling,” Antoine said as he packed up his portfolio. “You may have plenty of lasagna, but a decisive shortage of chairs.”

We all chuckled and Jasper and I walked him to the door.

“That went pretty well,” Jasper observed on our way down to the kitchen.

“Yeah. I wasn’t sure about him at first, but he grew on me.”

“I’m sure he’ll do a good job. Rey-Rey said he had to cash in a few favors just to get him to meet with us on such short notice. Too bad about the Christmas decorations, though. It would have been nice to do our first Christmas on our own, establish some traditions.”

“We could tell Antoine to hold off. I’ve never done Christmas on this scale, but I have plenty of time to shop...”

“No,” he leaned to kiss me. “The timing’s bad and we’ve already had a lot of firsts this year. I wouldn’t want our Christmas tradition to be you doing everything by yourself. Let’s do it right next year. Maybe we can start shopping when everything goes on sale this year. Heck, maybe we can recruit our families to hit the stores with us the day after Christmas?”

“The one retail day that rivals black Friday?” I was skeptical.

“That’s part of the fun.”

I walked to the warming oven and took out the lasagna and garlic bread. I had the plates laid out already on the island.

“Salad’s in the fridge,” I told Jasper, who walked over to get the two bowls I’d prepared earlier along with a bottle of Italian dressing. I placed two servings of the lasagna on our plates and added a couple of pieces of garlic bread.

“White or Red?” I asked, heading over to the wine storage area which I had stocked earlier in the day.

“You choose. This all looks and smells divine.”

“Now if only we could sit down and eat, like civilized people,” I said as I poured the wine.

“Call Dimi tomorrow and see if they have a table and a couple of chairs they can spare. This is delicious!”

“I will, and if not I’ll just buy us a set. I have to go out to buy a sofa for the office anyway.”

“That was a good idea, though to be honest, I really do like the idea of spending a few days in bed with you. Do we have cable and internet yet?”

“The installers were here today.”

“And we have my TV for the bedroom, so what else do we need? We can watch movies and make love and sneak down here for snacks.”

“Mr. Whitlock, I love the way you think!”