Shooting Stars

Chapter 2

Chapter 2“Hey. You’re home.” The tenderness in Ryan’s greeting melts through Jasper, making Jasper realize he’s missed this more than he thought. Coming home to Ryan is the first time he’s felt like he’s truly come home in all these months. That voice. The soft love carried through his tone. It envelops Jasper, and he never wants to live without it again.

Jasper bites his lip to suppress the grin crossing his face. His cheeks are starting to hurt from all the smiling he’s done today. “Hey yourself. I hope you didn’t miss me too much.”

“I slept so well. I forgot how comfy our bed is.” Ryan stretches like he’s just gotten up, though Jasper can hear the low hum of both the washing machine and dryer going, so it seems Ryan’s he’s not been as restful as he’s implying.

“What’s cooking?” Jasper sniffs in the direction of the oven as a delicious aroma fills the air.

Ryan shrugs. “A surprise dinner. You didn’t have anything planned, did you?”

“No. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to do anything special to celebrate being home,” Jasper lies. He’d not thought past the monumental s*x moment of today.

A sweet smile crosses Ryan’s lips. “Well, I did, but you beat me to it with your romantic gesture.” He winks, walking over towards Jasper. “How was work?”

“How was work? Really? I’ve missed you, but can we skip the small talk?” Jasper throws his arms over Ryan’s shoulders, distracted for a moment as he interlocks his fingers and is reminded of the smooth band he’s wearing.

“And do what?”

Jasper glances at Ryan’s lips with a cheeky smile. “Make out?” he suggests, like there hasn’t been a plethora of much better ideas replaying through his mind all day.

“Tempting, but I’ve had time to overthink things—”

Jasper groans and throws his head back with a sarcastic, “Of course you have. I love it when you do that.”

“I know. And I’m working on it,” Ryan states with an earnest expression in his gaze. “But you did lick another guy, so I feel like this is justified.”

Jasper can’t deny that. “And I was honest with you about it. I regret it. It didn’t go further, and I went to you and told you straight away. I really don’t want to go over it again. Please, I just want to enjoy this time with you before my sister comes home from the hospital with an undercooked newborn and we have no time to ourselves anymore. Don’t let your anxiety ruin things now. I love you and I promise you can trust me to never do anything like that again. I’ll spend my lifetime proving it and—”

“I do trust you,” Ryan interrupts. “There’s still a lot we have to work out, though. We haven’t been in a good place the last few months, and as much as I want to move forward, I can’t pretend the problems that got between us have been resolved.”

“I know.” Jasper nods, hoping the happy little bubble he spent the afternoon relishing in isn’t going to pop so soon. “But I want to work it all out. That’s why I gave you the promise ring. No matter what we face, I want to find a way we can make it work for both of us. I won’t give up and walk away. I want this. You and me. Forever.”

“I want that, too. But I need you to promise that from now on we’ll talk things through when we’re struggling.”

“I promise,” Jasper says, pulling away from Ryan, only to hold up his finger with the promise ring on it in Ryan’s face.

“That’s good to know, considering I’m choosing you as my forever person.” Ryan takes Jasper’s hand and kisses the ring.

Hearing Ryan call him his “forever person” like Jasper had when he’d given Ryan the ring, sends every endorphin within Jasper wild. He pulls back from Ryan and stands with a little more confidence, hoping the expression he’s pulling is giving off an alluring vibe. “You’re choosing me, huh? What exactly is it you’re choosing to do with me?”

“What?” Ryan seems both amused and taken off guard by the tone shift.

“You heard me. What are you gonna do with me now that you’ve chosen me?” Jasper leans back a little against the counter and watches the realization turn Ryan’s surprised expression into a knowing smirk.

“What wouldn’t I do?” Ryan steps closer. One hand delicately lifts Jasper’s chin and holds his gaze until the magnetic pull of burning desire has Jasper aching for Ryan’s next move, hoping it’ll be a hot kiss. “First, I would hold your hand.” Ryan lowers his voice to a deep and sexy tone as he takes Jasper’s hand. “Then I’d do this.” Ryan keeps steady eye contact. The hand under Jasper’s chin lowers to rest way too softly on Jasper’s neck. “And I’d kiss you like this.” Ryan places a kiss so delicate on Jasper’s lips it leaves him starving for more.

Jasper whines and is about to protest the underwhelming kiss, but he shuts up as he sees the way Ryan is eyeing him. There’s a curiosity in his stare that has Jasper intrigued, so he stays quiet and allows Ryan to continue taking the lead, curious to know what’s going through his boyfriend’s mind.

Ryan’s hand moves from Jasper’s neck, down his body, and grips the top of his pants. “Then I’d take you here.” Ryan leads Jasper to their bedroom, which still holds a smoky scent from the blown-out candles. All the rose petals have been collected in a glass vase that’s sitting on Ryan’s bedside table, like he’s keeping them displayed, or maybe ready for a chance to scatter them again.

“And I’d do this.” Ryan brings Jasper to the edge of the bed, leans in like he’s going to kiss him while he pops the button and draws down the zipper of his jeans, then pushes him onto the mattress right when their lips finally graze.

Jasper gasps as he hits the mattress, then grins as Ryan climbs on, crawling up Jasper’s body. Though he’s loving the walk through, Jasper’s excited for the talking to stop, falsely confident he knows what will happen next.

Ryan runs a finger down Jasper’s body, setting off every nerve in its path. When he reaches the top of Jasper’s pants, he retreats, splaying his fingers out and gliding his hand back up Jasper’s shirt, robbing him of the sensation on his bare skin so much a needy shiver explodes through him when Ryan’s fingers trace up his neck to the side of Jasper’s face. Ryan strokes Jasper’s cheek and leans in until their lips are almost touching. Jasper again tilts his head for a kiss, but Ryan moves his head back so he’s out of reach. He doesn’t speak, just lingers teasingly close, moving every time Jasper tries to close the gap between their lips.

It’s after the third attempt to kiss him that Jasper cracks. “Then what?”

The urgency in his tone earns him an amused chuckle from Ryan, who leaves him hanging for the passionate kiss he’s desperate for. Instead, his lips now move to the edge of Jasper’s jaw while his hand once again slides down his body.

Ryan’s messing with him, and Jasper is loving it more than he’ll ever admit.

“Then I’d run my lips down your neck, to that sensitive spot on your collarbone, touching you so ghostly that you are not even sure if I’m touching you at all or if it’s only the heat of my breath, you can feel.” Ryan speaks in a husky whisper as he acts out what he’s describing, making Jasper flinch with the tickle of breath on his neck. Ryan pauses again, right where Jasper is most sensitive.

Jasper holds his breath for a moment, waiting and wanting for Ryan’s lips or tongue to press against him.

After a moment of hesitation, Ryan’s lips graze their way back up his neck, all the way to his ear, making him shiver. Ryan lies beside him now, his fingers crawling down Jasper’s body to his pants.

Jasper holds in a whimper as Ryan’s fingers pause, then lets it out with a sigh as his boyfriend’s fingers crawl their way back up. His body is ignited with a building urgency that he’s struggling to control. He’s reaching a breaking point.

“Then I’d start teasing—”

“Then?” Jasper practically shouts, turning to Ryan and sitting up for a second before Ryan’s hand on his chest pushes him back down against the mattress.

His outburst breaks Ryan’s so far committed control, but after the enjoyable mocking of Ryan’s laugh, the jerk composes himself again and picks up right where he left off. “Then I’d start teasing.”

Jasper, regretting being the one to ask for this, lets out a frustrated groan and, to his surprise, Ryan shushes him. In his defense, Jasper hadn’t expected Ryan to answer his what would you do with me question verbally. If it was him answering the same question from Ryan, the only talking would’ve been a let me show you what I’d do kind of remark.

“I’d distract you with a kiss while I undress you.” Ryan whispers, but this time he doesn’t quite do what he’s saying, instead he slips a hand under Jasper’s shirt. “I’d run my hands all over your body.”

Jasper shuts his eyes now, mesmerized. He’s hanging off every word and desperate to take in every physical sensation he can. As Ryan’s hand drifts its way down to the top of his pants once more, Jasper freezes in anticipation. Waiting. Hoping he’ll receive some relief now. Thinking that this must be teasing Ryan just as much.

“Do me a favor and breathe, so I know you’re still with me.”

On mention Jasper becomes aware he’s been holding his breath again. His exhale is way more lustful than he intends. “Air is not a priority right now.”

“Oh?” Ryan taunts, but the next sentence gives Jasper a glimmer of hope. “Well, you’ll want to be alive for the next part, trust me.”

Ryan strips himself down to his underwear and gets comfortable beside him while Jasper stares at the proof Ryan is getting equally worked up over this torment. Jasper reaches out to touch him, but Ryan pushes his hand away with one hand, the other drifting his fingers up Jasper’s leg on the inside, becoming gentler and gentler the higher he reaches. Ryan stops at Jasper’s inner thigh and traces up the open zipper with a single finger, perfectly building the suspense. His lips graze Jasper’s neck, hot breath making Jasper squirm beneath him.

“Still breathing?” Ryan whispers as his lips reach Jasper’s ear, nipping at his earlobe.

“Yes,” Jasper moans, though he’s too pent up in anticipation to take anything more than shallow breaths. He can feel Ryan’s lips twist into a smirk at his response and he wants those sexy, smirking lips all over him.

“Good.” Ryan abandons the zipper and starts describing in painfully lude details what he’d be doing once he had Jasper naked. The tantalizing soft touches polarize the absolute word porn being whispered in his ear.

Jasper is lost at the mercy of Ryan’s dirty talk. What started as small flinches in response to the teasing has escalated to his entire body moving in desperation to follow or direct Ryan’s hand to where he needs him the most. Jasper whimpers in frustration as Ryan’s wandering hand skillfully avoids giving him any relief.

In defiance, he reaches down to touch himself since Ryan’s intent not to, but Jasper gives out another whine as Ryan grabs his hand and holds it down under a strong grip against the bed.

Jasper doesn’t even try to fight. He’s too stunned by how much he’s enjoying this to do anything but lie in helpless defeat, forced to listen to the heated description of how his boyfriend could be pleasuring him right now.

“Ryan,” Jasper gulps. His lips and mouth are becoming dry from hanging open with each rapid, heavy breath. His desperation is reaching its limits, and he’s not sure how much longer he can stay held on the precipice of pleasure like this. “As fun as this is—”

“God, I love how you’re still trying to play it cool, like I haven’t noticed the way Every. Single. Part. Of your body is writhing with anticipation and desperation to feel every single part of mine.” Ryan interrupts him with a condescending little chuckle that somehow only adds to how frustratingly turned-on Jasper is.

Ryan’s statement breaks Jasper again. “Shut up.” He turns his face to plead into his lover’s eyes, though he regrets it the moment he sees the gratified expression on Ryan’s face and realizes he’s powerless. That begging is giving Ryan even more satisfaction. “Oh God, please, shut up and kiss me,” Jasper sighs, needing something. Literally anything, more than what he’s getting from Ryan right now.

Ryan leans in, pecking his lips and pulling away, watching Jasper crumble into a whine of disapproval. “What? You asked me what I’d do, I’m telling you. This is exactly what you asked for.”

“Oh, my God.” Jasper gives an exasperated groan. “I’ll get you back for this. Don’t f*****g test me.”

“I’d love to see you try, Jas, but I don’t think you have the self-control,” Ryan laughs again.

Jasper likes the challenge in Ryan’s doubt. “You think you’d be able to outlast me? You’ve been going for half an hour.”

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Ryan glances at his watch and shrugs. “It’s not even been five minutes.”

“Get f****d. It’s been way longer than that.” Jasper tries to work out whether he’s lost all concept of time.

“Nope, less than five.”

Jasper whines again. “Why are you doing this to me? Because this seems very rehearsed, so how long have you been planning on tormenting me for?”

For a moment, Ryan seems hesitant about his answer, then he flashes Jasper a smile that makes Jasper want to crush his lips in a kiss fueled by passion or hate, maybe both.

“If it seems rehearsed, it’s because this was one of my go to fantasies that got me through being away from you these last few months.”

Ryan’s admission fills Jasper’s mind with the unhelpful thought that Ryan was imagining doing all of this to Jasper while pleasuring himself. Of all the times Jasper wished he’d gotten on that plane and fixed things with Ryan sooner, he’s the most mad at himself right now. They could’ve done this months ago!

“Now, don’t think for a second that I don’t know what you’re doing. You’re trying to change the topic to buy yourself time to cool down. I’m on to you.” Ryan winks.

Jasper closes his eyes, brought back from his thoughts to the bed he’s pinned to, dressed and deprived. “Oh, I wish you were onto me.”

“Careful what you wish for. Now, are you going to let me finish this or not?”

Jasper considers the option, wondering what will happen if he says no, then he lets out a sigh and relaxes, needing to know how this will end. “Are you gonna actually touch me?” he asks in a defeated tone. It’s at least worth a try, he figures.

“Quitter.”

Ryan’s grin sets Jasper off one more time, deciding he can’t take the teasing anymore. He starts half-heartedly trying to push Ryan away, but Ryan grabs both his wrists this time, pinning them above Jasper’s head. With his forearm over Jasper’s wrists, he holds his body over Jasper’s, his knees securing Jasper’s legs, keeping him from squirming.

“Fine.” Jasper’s not sure what is happening, but he wants it to keep happening. He has no intention of quitting and dealing with the satisfaction that’ll give Ryan.

“I’m going to make you lose yourself over nothing but words. Now where were we?”

It’s torture, and Jasper is on an endless loop of needing it to end, and hoping this is how he dies. “I hate you,” he says with a gulp.

“Oh really? Because it seems like you’re loving this.”

As the fantasy progresses, Jasper can’t help moving his body with desperate, aching need. When Ryan loses a bit of his self-control and lowers his waist, Jasper’s rewarded the opportunity to grind against Ryan whenever the urge is so great his hips lift involuntarily from the bed.

Through these moments, the sharp inhales and groans Ryan lets out whenever Jasper’s body meets his are thrilling. The sensual sounds escalate the intensity and what began as Ryan speaking in a controlled whisper, has devolved into him speaking with such urgency and lust in his voice that Jasper can feel his body becoming overwhelmed by the wave of ecstasy. He gives in, cursing and gasping as the feeling engulfs him.

Ryan presses his hips against Jasper’s, grinding with obvious need himself as he trails a series of soft kisses down Jasper’s neck, running his tongue back up to his ear and breathing heavily against him. “That’s what I’d do,” he whispers, rolling off and lying beside him.

As he slides his arm across Jasper’s wrists, Jasper moves his hand to grasp Ryan’s and they both stay there holding hands in silence for a few sweet moments both absent-mindedly stroking the new smooth band on one another’s fingers as they catch their breath.

“Okay.” Somehow, despite having little ability to move, Jasper feels like he’s been running a marathon. All his muscles have been so tense in their state of anticipation for so long they now feel like jelly.

“Yes?” Ryan lifts Jasper’s hand to his lips and kisses the back of his knuckles.

“What?” Jasper sits up and looks at Ryan. “Sorry, I feel so out of it right now.” The room feels like it’s rocking, so Jasper relaxes back against the mattress, draping his hand over his face. “I kinda hoped that was a wet dream I’d wake up from now. What the f**k did you just do to me?” He takes a deep breath to center himself again, becoming aware of the heat from his flushed cheeks and the thin layer of sweat all over his body. “I need a shower.”

For once, Jasper doesn’t run a scalding hot shower. He steps under the refreshing cool jets of water and leans his forehead against the glass. He hears Ryan’s footsteps approaching the shower, then the warmth of Ryan’s hands on his hips before sliding up his chest and resting on his shoulders. Hot lips place a delicate kiss on the back of his neck.

Jasper melts into his boyfriend’s loving embrace.

“Sorry. I got a bit caught up in seeing how far I could go. That was meant to be fun for you, too,” Ryan says, kissing him again on the shoulder.

Jasper laughs, turning around and draping his arms over Ryan’s shoulders. “It was fun, but I definitely would’ve preferred being shown. Your dirty talk is dangerous.”

“To be honest, I was a little worried you might not have wanted more so soon,” Ryan admits, running his hands up and down Jasper’s sides.

At that, Jasper’s reminded of the last attempted shower they’d taken together. Jasper had rejected the opportunity to have s*x again, but only because the condoms were still scattered all over the bedroom floor. Ryan must’ve gotten the wrong idea.

“You don’t have to worry about that. I wanted more again the minute we finished.” Jasper winks.

A look of relief crosses Ryan’s face, and at last he kisses Jasper the way Jasper has wanted ever since he’d walked in the door.

Jasper cherishes the tenderness of Ryan’s lips, then he lets out a little frustration from the afternoon’s torment. For good measure, when Ryan breaks the kiss, Jasper bites his lower lip, hard enough to take him by surprise but not enough to draw blood, then turns around, hoping that pressing himself against Ryan after rejecting him will be at least somewhat teasing him back. “But don’t think after pulling that on me you can just come in here and trick me into anything. I told you I’ll get you back, so if you thought getting in the shower with me and being nice and kissing me was gonna get you something, you’ll be leaving here very disappointed.”

“That wasn’t my plan. Besides, I’m the one that resisted you this long, remember? I even held back when you came to see me a few weeks ago, so I’m pretty sure you know I have strong willpower,” Ryan says, massaging soap across Jasper’s shoulders and back.

“Yes but, that wasn’t willpower holding you back, that was anxiety.” Jasper calls his bluff, casting a knowing smile over his shoulder.

Ryan smiles and leans in to kiss Jasper, who turns his head away again. A single, soft peck of Ryan’s lips on the back of Jasper’s neck is almost enough to ruin his goal of teasing Ryan.

Ryan wraps his arms around Jasper’s waist and places another kiss on his neck before resting his chin on Jasper’s shoulder. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Jasper turns again, leaning in to kiss Ryan, then hesitating. “Enjoy the rest of the shower,” he says, unable to suppress the smirk crossing his face as he pulls away and steps out. “Word of advice, Ry. Never tell someone so unnecessarily competitive that you can outlast them at something. Because I’ve interpreted that as ‘game on’ and I have no intention of losing without making you at least suffer, too.”