Diplomacy

next to Jack’s head and the other gently stroking his lover’s chest.
    “Tell me when you’re ready,” Lucas asked softly.
    “Go!” Jack answered, his voice strained. “Just… move gently.” Lucas did just that. He rocked back and forth slowly, watching his lover’s reaction and taking his cues from the involuntary moaning that came from deep inside Jack.
    The American was growing accustomed to being filled and as Lucas leaned in to kiss him, Jack spurred his lover on. “Harder, Luke, please. I want more.”
    This was all the encouragement Lucas needed and as Jack lifted his knees instinctively, changing the angle of the thrusts, the pitch of his moans changed. Lucas pulled out almost all the way every time, only to plunge back deeply, creating slapping skin-to-skin noises. They were both breathing heavily, close to climaxing.
    “Come… with me… Luke,” Jack cried out, arching his back away from the couch, his eyes open wide.
    Lucas found his lover’s gaze and saw the ecstasy flood Jack’s face as he felt his own groin tighten, signaling the point of no return. As Lucas rode out his orgasm, he continued to thrust deep inside Jack, until he felt his lover tighten around him and hot sticky fluid sprayed between their bellies. When he finally collapsed onto Jack’s limp body, he felt how the man still shuddered in reaction to his climax. He also realized their fingers had somehow become entwined and their lips were almost touching, just like the first time he had made Jack come in their Antwerp hotel room. As he remembered, Lucas let his lips ghost over Jack’s cheek and tasted the salt of tears. He untangled one of his hands and wiped the wetness away.
    “Are you okay?”

    106 | Z a h r a O w e n s

    Jack took his time answering, languidly opening his eyes. “I love you, Lucas. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

    AFTER getting cleaned up, both men ended up on the couch again, unable to get enough of touching each other and slowly letting reality creep back in.
    Jack had taken a moment to call Mark as he had promised in return for this private time away from everything. He was told that Mark had covered for him with Maria, giving her the message Jack was in a meeting that was expected to last a good few hours.
    “So you trust Mark to keep our secret?” Lucas asked, a little uneasy.
    “Mark doesn’t know the finer details. I just told him I needed some time away and I couldn’t tell him where I would be.”
    “Yeah, but your Secret Service guys are pretty thorough. He probably followed you here, just to make sure you’re okay, and who says he’s not sitting in his car outside of this apartment block waiting until you come out?”
    “You’re being paranoid, Luke,” Jack answered softly, but deep inside he knew his lover might well be right. Mark probably knew something was up. Jack and Lucas could only hope that Mark was also good at keeping the information to himself.
    Lucas lay on his side, his back against the couch and Jack in his arms, spooning him. They were still naked, but the sultry city heat was only just dissipating so they were warm enough just staying close together.
    Jack tilted his head back a little. “We need to talk, Lucas. We need to face reality.”
    He heard his young lover sigh and felt the Brit’s warm lips on the back of his shoulder. “I know. It’s just… I like our own little reality here and if we talk, we let the whole bad world into it.” Jack smiled. “I know. We can still have this, Lucas, our own little reality, just for you and me.” He put his hands over Lucas’s and pulled the young man’s arms tighter around his body. “But I think we both need to know where we stand.”
    Jack felt Lucas nod and kiss his neck again. “I love you, too, Jack.” D i p l o m a c y | 107

    The American sighed. “I need time to tell Maria, Luke. I can’t just spring this on her. She has as much invested in my career as I do and if this all blows up in my face, she needs alternatives as well. I owe her that much.”
    “I don’t want you to give up your career, Jack. I know how much this means to you! We can wait it out, see where this gets us.” Jack turned onto his back, wanting to see his lover’s expression.
    “You mean keep hiding, keep sneaking around like this?” Lucas leaned forward until his forehead touched Jack’s. “If we come out, we won’t have careers, Jack. Neither of us. I don’t know about you, but I don’t know what I would do if I