Off the Page (3 page)

“Were you dreaming about Lord John Loring or about me?”

“I….” He froze with no idea what to do. “It’s not uncommon for a writer to dream about his characters,” he said, making a last-ditch attempt to dig himself out.

“Christian, this is us.” John poked the laptop. “You’re writing us.”

Christian folded his arms over himself. It was a poor substitution for the hug and words of reassurance he needed at the moment.
Hey, you’re not nuts, this is fine.
That sort of thing. This was not supposed to happen. He looked over at John, and hoped John recognized how much effort meeting his eyes took. “I’m sorry. Look, I’ll change it if you want. I know you were just being yourself, and I went and twisted everything around into something you never intended and… I’m sorry.”

John looked back at him for a few seconds. Christian watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “Who said I didn’t intend it?” John asked. He was quiet, as if talking was just as much a task for him as making eye contact was for Christian.

“What?” Christian asked.

"I meant it," John said.

Christian registered the words, but the bindings of fear and dread wrapped around him didn't loosen until John set the laptop down and scooted closer onto the bed beside him. When John pulled him into his arms, Christian’s body went easily, although his mind struggled to understand.

John held him close and petted his hair. Gradually, Christian laid his hand on John’s stomach to make sure that John was there.

John lifted Christian’s chin with his finger and kissed him. Christian stretched up to reach it, taking his chance to respond as he hadn’t been able to the night before. The fear that he had lost John fell away. He fisted John’s shirt to keep him close. He wouldn’t let go again.

John laughed against his mouth. “I thought writers were supposed to be great observers of human nature.”

Christian tucked his head down and rubbed John’s chest over his T-shirt. “Yeah, with me that’s mostly not true.” He looked up, baring whatever embarrassed expression he wore for John to see. “I, um, only ‘observe’ human nature as it occurs to the people I’m making up.”

John pulled him forward by the arms and laid a gentle kiss on his mouth. “You aren’t making me up.”

Christian stretched across John’s legs, letting his palm “accidentally” brush John's cock. It twitched, warm and ready through the light cotton trousers. “So you actually were trying to seduce me? With the bad cooking, calls to the fire department, using me as a guinea pig to test your new coffee flavors, and giving me erections in public?”

“And walking around soaking wet in a towel. Don’t forget that.” John grabbed Christian's hand as Christian started to remove it and kept it in place. Christian curled his fingers around John’s cock, squeezing it through the fabric.

“Can’t,” Christian said. John had repeated that one several times.

“Good. So, are you all right with that? Because I can try a little harder. I mean, if you need more material for your book.” His hips thrust upward, pushing his cock into Christian’s hand.

“I think I might need a little more,” Christian said.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” John moved then, not thrusting anymore but getting up and rolling forward, taking Christian with him until Christian was on his back and somehow they both had their pants off and John’s fingers were slick inside him, and John's mouth and glitter were
everywhere
.

“Will you take my weapon, you lovely boy?” John asked. He hovered over Christian, holding Christian’s legs up with his shoulders, and grinned wickedly down at him.

“I’m changing that line,” Christian said.

“Don’t you dare. And was that a ‘yes’?”

“Yes,” Christian said, wrapping his arms around John’s neck and pulling him down. John pushed inside him slow and steady, only stopping once, but there was no getting used to the stretch, not when Christian wanted it so much, to feel John inside him, with him, finally. He’d have to remember this for his next chapter when Christina rescued Lord John.

John kissed his ear, startling Christian out of the space where he had drifted. “Write your book later. Stay with me now.”

Turning toward him, Christian kissed him back. “Okay.” He felt overwhelmed with happiness, as if there were too much of it to stay safely inside him, so he held tight to John with his arms and legs and released it in laughter and gasps and noises that he couldn’t identify.

“
C
HRISTIAN
, I’m not trying to critique your novel or anything, but you do realize it’s obvious you’re writing two guys, right?”

Christian pushed himself off John’s chest so he could get to a proper angle for indignant staring. “What? No. Christina’s a girl. I described her dress in detail.”

John did not look cowed. Or any less amused. “You don’t mention her breasts, though. And frankly, your description of her other girl parts could just as easily work for an asshole, as could the sex. Fingering first?”

“It’s called foreplay.” Christian lay back down, but he did it with added
oomph
to get his point across that even though he was open to cuddling, he still thought John was full of shit. Even if he was, possibly, right.

“Yeah. Funny that the only foreplay you mention is the one that’s pretty much essential for gay sex. No one’s going to believe she’s a girl. That’s all I’m saying.”

“Well, who asked you?”

John laughed and rubbed Christian’s arm.

“At least help me think about adjectives for breasts,” Christian said, muffling the request into John’s side.

“I know tons,” John said. “You’d be surprised.”

Christian bet that he would. First, though, he had something else to do. He rolled over and reached for his laptop.

“What are you doing?”

“Writing Cindy.” He tugged John down so he could kiss his cheek. “She told me to write when I was ready for someone real. I’m going to tell her I am.”

“Are you going to tell her you fell for the real Lord John? You’d better send a picture if you do that or else she’ll call the mental institution on you."

Christian looked at John. His hair was mussed, and his eyes twinkled with good humor. “I’ll risk it,” he said. “I want you to myself for now. And anyway, I wouldn’t want to begrudge you the chance to come to my rescue.”

“I can always accidentally set something on fire,” John said agreeably.

“Exactly.” Christian pulled him down for a brief kiss that turned into a long one when John rolled on top of him. Christian wrapped his arms and legs around him. The letter could wait.

About the Author

R
YAN
L
OVELESS
is the half-pseudonym of a farmer’s daughter. She has a B.A. in English from a private college in Illinois and is pursuing her master’s degree in library and information science with an archival certificate from a university in New York. Raised in a conservative family, she was shocked and relieved when her coming out was largely uneventful, at least compared to some. She has been writing since she could read and has always drifted toward M/M because she enjoyed the relationship dynamics between men, even before she understood what sexuality was. It’s possible that her first story was about G.I. Joe. She really wishes she still had that story.

Visit Ryan at
http://ryanloveless.dreamwidth.org/
. You can contact her at
[email protected]
.

Copyright

Off the Page ©Copyright Ryan Loveless, 2011

Published by

Dreamspinner Press

4760 Preston Road

Suite 244-149

Frisco, TX 75034

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Art by Anne Cain   [email protected]

Cover Design by Mara McKennen

This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

Released in the United States of America

April 2011

eBook Edition

eBook ISBN:
978-1-61581-803-7