Free Stage Fright by Pender Mackie Page A

bittersweet drag when Val pulled back only to push in to him again. He could hardly stand it, and yet he wished it would never stop. He clung desperately to Val, balanced on the precipice until at last Val’s movements grew more urgent. Val wrapped his arms around Jesse, holding him tightly.
    Jesse gripped Val’s ribs with his knees and used his legs to pull Val even closer. He ground against him. This was what he wanted. Strong fingers digging into his skin, the scent of fresh sweat in his nostrils, a man’s cock in his ass.
    Val’s breath was hot against his ear. “That’s it. Come on, Jesse. Show me how much you like what I’m doing to you.” He thrust hard, then shuddered.
Jesse followed just seconds later, wet heat erupting between them as Val’s words pushed him over the edge.

Chapter Six
They spent the whole afternoon in Val’s bed. Jesse rested in Val’s arms, warm skin and wiry chest hair against his cheek. The remains of their lunch sat on the nightstand.
     
“How long have you been in Vegas?” Val’s fingers traced invisible patterns against his shoulder blade.
    “Six months.”
“What’d you do before you came here?”
Jesse nuzzled closer. Val shifted to accommodate him. “I worked at my parents’
    diner.”
“You get along with them?” Val sounded surprised.
“Sure.” Jesse smiled against Val’s chest. “I didn’t mind waiting tables or cooking,
    but eventually I had to get out. I was suffocating, you know?”
“Why’d you pick Vegas?”
“My parents came here for their honeymoon. I used to love looking at their photos
    when I was little.” Jesse remembered all the times he’d sat on his mom’s lap as she turned the pages of their photo album. “Anyway, I’ve always wanted to check out Vegas, and I thought there’d be plenty of jobs.”
    And he’d wanted to go someplace where people were tolerant. Where he didn’t feel like he had to downplay his orientation and he could be himself. Which was kind of funny, considering he’d taken a job where it seemed to make sense to stay in the closet. “What about you?”
“Lots of reasons.” Val grinned. “For one, it’s warm in the winter.”
    Jesse stretched and licked at Val’s nipple, and Val gave a little sigh of pleasure. Val seemed content to hold him, but Jesse wanted to make love again. He closed his eyes. Not just yet, though. Maybe in a few minutes.
    VAL KEPT HIS arm around Jesse as the dancer’s breathing deepened and the muscles of his body grew relaxed in sleep. Then he shifted carefully. At last he could watch Jesse the way he wanted to without fear that he would expose Jesse’s secret.
    Jesse lay on his side, breathing slowly. Val couldn’t quite believe Jesse was in his bed. He longed to touch him but didn’t want to wake the man, so he contented himself with cataloging his features.
    Jesse’s eyelashes were short and gold-tipped. He had pale freckles across his nose that Val had never noticed before. Jesse’s chin was sprinkled with gold stubble, and he had a small white scar just under his jaw. It looked old enough to be the result of some playground adventure. Maybe a tumble from the monkey bars or a fall from a swing. In his mind’s eye he saw a young, towheaded Jesse fearlessly trying to swing up and over the bars of a swing set. He ghosted a fingertip over Jesse’s jaw, not quite touching.
    He angled his head to see more of Jesse’s body, wishing the sheets weren’t covering quite so much. Jesse was lightly tanned all over. Val should have noticed the absence of tan lines before, but he hadn’t until he’d tugged Jesse’s briefs down those lean thighs to expose the only part of Jesse he hadn’t seen until now. Jesse’s cock was as gorgeous as the rest of him. Val had sat back and drunk his fill of a completely naked Jesse—face flushed, mouth reddened from his kisses, cock heavy and hard because he wanted Val, not someone more extroverted or better looking. Val had smoothed his hands over