Page 86 of Ring Rust

“One second in that mouth,” Ryan whimpered. His pleas came out breathy and desperate, humiliating and petulant, cutting through the arousal in the air. “I’ll beg, if that’s what you want.”

“How about you just be happy I’m extracting cum from you any way I like, since I don’t have to be here. Show some fucking gratitude,” Jasper said, a laugh slipping out as he pulled Ryan closer to work his dick with both hands.

Ryan couldn’t help but laugh, too—confused by the words coming out of Jasper’s mouth, but too horny to think critically and too happy to question it.

He stopped caring about anything at all when Jasper leaned forward, whispering in his ear, “And maybe, if you’re lucky, I’ll actually let you touch me this time.”

“Yeah, I want to—” Ryan breathed. “Oh, God, I’m gonna come.”

Jasper was still laughing as he reached down and stroked his fingers behind Ryan’s balls, reaching for his hole, but he wasn’t fast enough. Ryan came with a groan, loud and echoing off the walls.

He felt the way Jasper jerked him harder when he said he was coming, he saw the way Jasper moved his body closer andwatched the cum land there. Now he was rubbing it into his skin under the guise of rinsing it down the drain.

Without giving himself time to think more about it, Ryan sank to his knees and swallowed Jasper’s cock. He felt two strong hands around his head, pulling it towards Jasper’s body, feeding his cock further down Ryan’s throat with every gentle thrust.

God, he’d missed this so much. Missed Jasper so much. He’d missed the noises Jasper made, missed making him feel good any way he wanted, missed eating his terrible meals, missed his mean comments. He felt his eyes prickle with tears and took Jasper’s cock as deep as he could, so he didn’t have to explain them, the same way he had the last time he’d done this.

“Yeah. That’s so good,” Jasper said, fisting Ryan’s hair. After just a few seconds, Ryan felt Jasper swell in his mouth. “Oh, God, I’m coming, baby.”

As Ryan swallowed Jasper’s release, he tried not to read too much into the pet name. It could’ve slipped out in the heat of the moment. Could’ve meant nothing at all. But his chest wrapped around it anyway, greedy for affection.

He stood, wrapping his arm around Jasper’s waist and resting his head on his shoulder. The spray of the water was steady, cooling from the amount of time they’d spent in there together. Everything was a blur for Ryan, whether from emotions or exhaustion or pain he wasn’t sure he was feeling. He tried to focus on the feeling of the water and Jasper’s hands resting on the planes of his back.

Jasper turned his head slightly. They were close enough that Ryan felt it on the top of his head, and he turned, too, driven by eager hope. For a second, they were face to face again but with inches between them. Jasper leaned in, and then there was no distance between them at all. The kiss was brief at first, a little uncertain, like he was waiting for permission—and Ryan grantedit instantly, his fingers tightening against Jasper’s ribs as he pressed him into the wall of the shower.

Ryan kissed Jasper back, no longer pretending he thought his asinine request for going slow was worth entertaining. He pressed forward, tasting Jasper fully while his hand gripped at Jasper’s wet skin, wishing more than anything they were in a soft, warm bed and his arm wasn’t covered in layers of plastic and plaster. Jasper moaned into the kiss, both arms wrapping around Ryan’s shoulders, their spent cocks brushing together under the cool water. He bit Ryan’s bottom lip, sucking on it before diving back in, each kiss wet and urgent.

When they finally pulled apart, they stayed under the spray with their foreheads pressed together. Ryan tried to make sense of what just happened but decided it wasn’t worth it. Hope settled in, and Ryan let it.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ryan was pacing around outside,phone pressed to his cheek, the fingers on his broken arm playing at the zipper of his hoodie. Jasper watched him, trying to figure out if something was wrong or if he was just enjoying the fresh air and conversation—they’d gone for a walk after they took a post-shower nap, and Ryan’s phone rang right when they got back. It’d been Micah. Jasper left him outside, offering some privacy while he cleaned up the kitchen from the lunch Ryan made.

It was just a couple minutes before Ryan made his way up the front steps, gnawing on his lip and scratching at his head. The actions set Jasper on edge immediately, since Ryan’s awkward approach was a familiar one—and one that sometimes ended in ways Jasper couldn’t handle right now.

“Hi,” Jasper said, as Ryan crossed the house to the kitchen.

“Hey.”

“Everything okay?”

“Not really. Um.”

“Ry?”

Ryan sat down at the table and kicked a chair out, gesturing to Jasper to sit down. So he did, stomach churning.

“What’s wrong? You’re freaking me out a little bit,” Jasper said.

“That was Micah’s manager,” Ryan said. “Micah had a bad match. He had surgery a couple days ago, I guess. He’s refusing to talk to anybody. He didn’t even tell anybody he got hurt. I had no idea.”

“Oh, God. That’s terrible. Is he going to be okay?”

“Yeah, he’ll be fine, he just…” Ryan took in a deep breath. “He’s still at the hospital but they’re sending him home soon, and his manager asked me to come out and help get him settled. Just for a few days, until his mom arrives to take over.”

“Okay? That seems fine, right? If he’s going home soon, he must be stable. That’s a good thing.”

“Yeah. He is. But, well, I told him I couldn’t come, and?—”