When Karen knocked on the door at 6:30 and stepped in, she saw CJ lying cherished and protected between his uncles. She gently touched his foot to wake him up. The movement stirred Jason.
"Good morning."
"Good morning. Are you coming to get CJ?", he asked sleepily.
Carefully, he nudged his nephew. "Don't wake up your uncle," he said as CJ climbed out of bed.
"Are you joining us for breakfast?", Karen asked.
"It's a little too early for me," Jason yawned.
"And Conner?", she gestured with her head.
"I don't know." After a brief hesitation, he rolled aside. "Conner?", he shook his arm. "What time do you get up?"
"At nine," he muttered lifting his arm and pulling Jason towards him. "Stop talking."
Even before Karen left the bedroom with raised eyebrows and cast a final look at the intertwined men, they were both in deep sleep.
"I think Uncle Jason had to help with a nightmare because they hugged all night. At first I thought I was dreaming, but I think Uncle Conner was crying." He looked up at his mother. "Uncle Jason stopped the tears."
"I told you Uncle Jason is the expert nightmare fighter." She tousled through his hair. "Did you have a good time?"
"Yes, it was fun." He looked at her cautiously. "Uncle Jason had all kind of snacks and green lemonade."
"I already knew that."
Now that he didn't get into trouble for eating the snacks, he rattled enthusiastically. "The car movie was a lot of fun. Uncle Jason sat with his hands in front of his eyes a few times. Uncle Conner called him a wimp."
He took a bite of his breakfast.
"Uncle Jason also had chicken wings with garlic sauce. I think Uncle Conner had spilled a little because his shirt smelled like garlic. I was happy when he took off his shirt. His stripes don't hurt as much anymore."
Karen heard everything patiently.
"His scars, you mean."
CJ nodded.
"Did he say that to you?"
"No, to Uncle Jason."
After one last bite, he slid off the table. "Thank you, Mom. I'm going to take a shower and get dressed."
Karen pondered the words of CJ and the image of Conner reaching for Jason. She was right in her sense that the two men could help each other. She just hoped Jason wouldn't break his heart in the process.
At quarter past nine she walked down and found the two men sleeping in the same position.
"Breakfast," she shouted loudly.
Conner's eyes flew open.
"I'm up," he said, rolling around and stretching. "Wake up," he bumped into Jason.
This one expressed a groan of pain and protest.
"Hey, take it easy. I don't have a Marine's steely body."
"Your amazing sister has breakfast ready for us."
He gave her a kiss in passing and came back with a shirt he put over his head.
"They look good," she gestured to his scars before disappearing behind cotton.
"Hm," Conner nodded.
She would have liked to say more, but respected the defenses on his face. Whatever allowed him to be so open at night, it was now gone. Her theory was confirmed by Jason who observed him cautiously and walked down the stairs without an attempt at touching.
After a well-enjoyed and pleasant breakfast, Conner went downstairs to shower and prepare for work. Jason stayed with Karen. She put her hand on his hand.
"I only now realise how vulnerable Conner is and how grateful Duncan and I are that you are here to support him."
"Although he doesn't talk about his nightmares, I do notice that his pain is very deep. It's really necessary for him to talk to someone. Preferably a professional."
"That's exactly what Duncan has been saying for months, but he refuses all help."
"Don't they offer help from the Navy?"
"I have no idea. He doesn't talk about that either."
"I'm going," she heard from the downstairs before the door was closed.
"What's new with you?", asked Karen.
"Andrea has a few artists who's she wants to show me. They are potential candidates for when my collection goes on tour."
He also planned to ask her if she knew a suitable workspace for him. This wasn't something he wanted to bother Karen with, but the longer he thought about it the more he liked the idea. If Conner opened up more and therefore shared more emotions, he needed an outlet to process it.
Jason was excited about the portfolios of Andrea's candidates. He supported her desire to add at least one local artist per city. When asked about the workspace, her eyes started to shine.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to get the jitters?"
She picked up her calendar and took over an address for him.
"Go check here. You can get in right away. I think this is exactly what you need."
Jason took the paper.
"When can I get a look?"
"Now, if you want."
She took back the piece of paper and added a phone number.
"Alex is an experimental artist. I'm sure you'll have a click."
After a short phone call with an extremely friendly woman who assured him that he was welcome at any time, he drove full of expectation to the specified address. Frowning, he stepped out of his car in front of the gray and abandoned looking warehouse. On the steel door on the right was an eight painted. On closer inspection, he found an intercom.
"Hello?", sounded a woman's voice.
"Hello. My name is Jason Greenleaves. I have an appointment to view the studio space."
"Come up."
Bzzt. The door was closed and Jason stepped in.
A brightly dressed woman in her 40s waited outside the elevator on the first floor.
"Hello, Jason. My name is Natalie Dumas. Alex's wife."
His eyes grew when he recognized the name. Actually, both of them. He shook her hand a little bit.
"Andrea forgot to tell that little detail. It is truly a pleasure for me to be able to get acquainted with you."
Natalie smiled.
"Don't give Andrea too many problems, Jason. It is at our request that she didn't say anything."
She beckoned him further.
"Alex just made coffee. Do you want a cup?"
Mentally preparing for the encounter, he nodded silently walking after her.
Alexander Pedro Dumas was thirty-four years old, of Colombian descent and without a doubt one of the most virile men he had ever seen.
His eyes slid eagerly over the impressive stature. He was seated on the floor dressed in jeans and bare feet. Black hair shone in the sunlight that fell through the huge windows inside. The open light blue shirt with rolled sleeves revealed a powerful mocha coloured chest. Golden eyes picked him up curiously.
Jason bowed to Natalie involuntarily.
"I really don't understand how you're able to work with this guy in your area. I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off him."
Alex nonchalantly leaned back to provide even better views of his body while sipping from his coffee. Natalie bumped into him smiling.
"For the first two years, this was the case. Then we learned to let that energy flow into our work."
"With tremendous success," Jason agreed. "All your projects are of a high level."
Jason picked up Alex slowly getting up from the floor. Without exaggerated moves, he was admired by Jason.
His thoughts wandered to Conner's perfect body. A sting of desire shot visibly over his face. Heat rose to his cheeks at Alex's observant gaze when he came closer.
"Your body reacts involuntarily to my presence, but your passion is not for me," Alex noted.
Frowning, Jason took a step towards him.
"I have no idea why you're testing me, but I'm curious about what's next."
Natalie hooked in his arm.
"Alex has a strong sexual appeal. It has caused unpleasant complications with previous users of the studio." She was caressing his cheek. "This will be different with you. You feel his virility without it overtaking you. Most likely you are in love with someone who demands all your passion."
Jason raised his eyebrows. "Is it so obvious?"
Alex took him up intensely. "Yes. If I combine your reaction with what I saw in Blue Boy, there's no doubt." He grabbed his hands. "I would like to work with you and develop your talents further. To feed you with my energy and strength. There's still a challenge ahead of you. After seeing that painting, I knew the story wasn't finished."
He tapped Jason's bag. "You've already started. It took you to us. Can I see?"
Jason froze visibly. His arm clamped protectively around his bag. "Maybe later."
Natalie watched as Jason struggled between the desire to share his work and protect himself from her pushy husband.
"Give him time, Alex," she said. "Show him the space."
When entering the top floor, his mouth fell open. Twenty-five hundred square meters lay bathed in the sunlight in front of him.
"This is unbelievable," he exclaimed.
"You can decorate the space the way you want."
"I've always wanted more room for my sculpting," he said breathlessly.
"Alex nodded. "Now you can do whatever you want. Let your imagination run wild."
Jason felt how it started to tickle in his blood. Apologetically, he turned to Alex.
"I get pretty obsessive when I work. Time loses its meaning. After my last project, I promised my family to take it easy."
"I can help you with that too," Alex said, smiling.
Almost begging, Jason looked at him. "Really? Because I'm about to burst!"
It wasn't until he had uttered the words that he realized how much of his feelings had been forcibly repressed. Emotions welded up in him and before he knew it, silent tears were slipping down his cheeks.
"I hope I can pay the rent," he sniffled with a laugh.
"Simple," Alex said. "Give me Blue Boy and the space is yours."
With a jerk, he turned around.
"No."
"Free space, unlimited supply of material, complete privacy," Alex said.
"No, no, no, no, no, Not for money, not for material, not for anything. Blue Boy is mine," he growled.
Alex seemed extremely pleased with his unfriendly response.
"Good to hear. I didn't expect anything else."
Jason looked at him frowning.
"Are you still testing me?"
The man took him by the hand.
"The test is over. If you want, the space is for you."
"What about the rent?", he asked reluctantly.
"Details can be discussed with Natalie," Alex said with his hand waving. "But it will undoubtedly be reasonable."
He laughed at the cautious expression on Jason's face.
"Come on, I'll show you our workspace."
"And?", Natalie asked them waiting.
"It's a great space," Jason said, pulling a hand through his hair. "I just hope I can afford the rent."
"Oh, don't worry about that. You don't have to cover more than the basic cost."
She flipped through the contract. The amount mentioned was more than reasonable and Jason enthusiastically shook her hand.
"Deal."
Alex led him through their studio space.
"We have fixed work benches and each our own corner." He walked to the left. "I am currently working on a commissioned piece."
Jason let his hands slide along the massive block of clay.
"Looks like you're working on multiple projects at once."
"That's right. It helps with the obsession because It's easier for me to steer my creativity."
Jason observed him more closely. "Doesn't it cause too much distraction? I've never worked on two projects at once."
Alex knocked on his shoulder. "I'll be fine."
"When can I start?", he said with a longing look at the empty easel.
"Immediately. I'll give you a key so you can go and start whenever you want."
Jason's head was at full speed.
"If I can arrange transport, I can bring some more stuff today. Until what time do I have access?"
Natalie looked at her husband lovingly and stepped into his open embrace.
"We're people of all hours, Jason. Sounds like you're the same. Spend your time as you want and call if you need help."
"Okay."
There was only one thing left to discuss.
"Andrea has arranged this and knows about this, but otherwise I would love to keep my stay between us."
He gauged the reaction and found unconditional acceptance.
"Fine."
Alex's golden eyes slipped over his bag. "Does that have to do with him?"
The understanding in his eyes made him nod. "Yes."
"You can count on our discretion," Natalie assured him.
Jason drove to the storage room where his equipment was standing and loaded his car. With an eye on the clock, he sent a message to inform that he would not be home for dinner. With his sketchbook pressed to his chest, he embraced this new challenge.
Finally, he had an outlet for the emotions he couldn't show when Conner snuggled into him during the night.
It was after 10:00 when he drove home. All the papers were signed and tomorrow would be another busy day.
Longing for a hot shower, he walked to his bathroom after a short greeting towards Conner where he undressed and stepped under the hot rays. Dressed in his pajamas, he sat down next to Conner on the couch.
The baseball game on TV was almost over.
"Busy day?", Asked Conner without taking his eyes off the screen.
"Yeah, it really was" he acknowledged yawning. "I'm tired. Goodnight."
"I'll join you as soon as the game ends."
Jason froze. "Erm... Conner?"
"Yes, I know. Payment," he said to his surprise. "A kiss with feeling."
He sounded so serious that Jason's mouth fell open. Dazed he let Conner grab him by the shoulders and be turned around so that he sat with his back towards him. A hand shoved the hair out of his neck before warm lips left a trail of gently lingering kisses. For fifteen seconds, he found himself in heaven until an uninvited guest announced himself. He hurriedly moved away from Conner. A look at the TV made his desperation grow. The last zero was just made to end the game.
"I'm going to take a shower," Conner announced, standing up untroubled and walking to his room.
Jason knew he only had a few minutes to get rid of his erection. He grabbed his phone and closed the door of the bedroom.
"Karen? This is an emergency. You have to help me," he begged as soon as she answered.
"Jason? What's going on?"
"Explaining takes too long. I'm sorry, but you have to distract Conner for me. For about 30 minutes," he added blushing.
He heard her soft giggle.
'Oh heaven what was this embarrassing!'
"You're old and wise enough to tell Conner that you need some private time, little brother. He comes from an environment with men. I'm sure he'll understand."
"Yes, but," he stammered.
"Bye, Jason."
Incredulously, he stared at the phone.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!'
He wasted precious time calling Karen. What was he supposed to do now? Following her suggestion? Hard to swallow, he realized what this would entail. Filled with embarrassment he walked across the living room to Conner's bedroom. Despondently shaking his head, he knocked on the door.
"Conner?"
"Come in."
"I'd rather not," he said quickly. "I came to ask if you can come a little later. Eh... I have to do something before I go to sleep. Say half an hour?"
The door flew open and Jason jumped back.
"Half an hour? Really?"
Conner's eyes slipped tellingly at his lower body.
"I know you didn't grow up in a house of men, but do you really need half an hour to jerk off?" He shook his head in disbelief. "I'll give you ten minutes," and pushed a bright red and loudly protesting Jason towards his bedroom. "Hurry up, your time is running."
Jason threw one last scathing look over his shoulder before closing his bedroom door with a bang.
If he was alone, it always took longer to peak. That's why he usually took the time. Now that that option fell away, he was eagerly looking for a way to accelerate his climax. Despairingly, he let his hand slide into his pajama pants, wrapped his hard member and started pumping.
"Nine minutes," he heard from the living room.
"Shut up," Jason recalled.
His tension increased. He would never succeed like this. A sudden thought gave him new hope. Julian had given him a prostate stimulator months ago. Hastily, he was looking through the boxes in his wardrobe.
"Gotcha."
Complete by plastic enclosed, the packaging was impossible to open without knife or scissors. Both were in the kitchen.
"I need something from the kitchen," he yelled at Conner. "Scissors."
He heard Conner search through the drawers.
"Eight minutes," Conner said grinning handing over the scissors through a slightly cracked open door.
Thank God he had the packaging loose within ten seconds. Batteries included. Deftly he worked his pants down, squeezed a little lubricant on his hand and brought the prostate stimulator inside. Outside the door, he heard Conner keep counting down the minutes.
"Three minutes."
The device did a great job. He should send Julian a thank you, because sooner than he ever dared of dreaming, he felt his climax approaching. A handful of tissues caught his seed as he bit away his cries in the pillow. In the bathroom he cleaned the prostate stimulator and washed his hands and face. By the time Conner counted away in the last seconds, he was already on his side in bed.
"Three, two, one. Your time is up," Conner counted before opening the door and stepping in with his hand in front of his eyes.
Gently he spread his fingers and peeked through it.
"Are you still busy?", he asked with a raised nose.
"No, you boorish peasant!", Jason splashed up and threw his pillow towards Conner's head. "If you ever pull a stunt like that again, you can forget about sharing my bed, is that understood!"
"Oh," Conner said unconcerned, noting that he had carelessly plucked from the air before reaching his face. "loosen up, will you." He sat down on the edge of the bed. "Really, Jason. I really thought gay people were a little freer in their sex lives, but you're nothing short of prudish."
"What do you mean?", Jason disputed indignantly and sat up. In disbelief at the remark, he shook his head. "You don't take my feelings into account at all, do you? Do you have any idea how hard it is to sleep next to you night after night without responding to your body so willingly reaching out to mine?"
Conner raised his eyebrows. "I had no idea you were so influenced by me. Doesn't this exactly confirm my statement?"
"I'm not a prude," said Jason, who elevated to his knees. "My ability to exercise self-control is tested by you to its limits."
"Oh yeah?", asked Conner interested. "And why is that?"
"Look at yourself. You're a nine," he slammed. "If you're uncircumcised and over eight inches, even a ten!"
The oh so satisfied expression on his face told Jason enough.
"Stop grinning. You look like an idiot," he grumbled angrily.
"What?", Conner said. "Can't I be happy with the compliment? It's not every day I'm compared to Bo Derek."
With his hands reaching above his head, he leaned back stretching out his long body. In doing so, he was very aware of Jason's gaze slipping over his figure and sticking with his crotch.
"I can't switch of my feeling so easily, Conner. If I lower my shield, it's not going to get up at a moment's notice."
"Why do I get the feeling that you warning me?", Conner asked curiously.
"Probably because I am," he rebounded. "If you keep challenging me like this, I'll respond."
Because he didn't want to push the situation any further, he turned away from Conner and laid down on his left side.
"Good-night."
He felt how Conner sat up.
"Sorry, Jason. Please don't be mad at me. I love that I get to sleep in your bed. I wouldn't want to jeopardize that."
One hand slipped over his back.
"I need you."
Jason rolled over.
"You play the role of a pathetic but humble soul in need with conviction," he said with tight jaws. "If you weren't so damn cute, I'd have kicked you out of bed a long time ago."
Conner stared him speechless.
Jason pulled him roughly around and nestled in his arms.
"Shut up and go to sleep," he murmured to Conner's chest.
"Yes, sir."
An arm clamped him closer against Conner.
That's how they slept through the night without incident.