Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 1

could you just stop?"
    "I know you hate it and that no one else calls you that, but that's why I do." Jared searched his eyes through Casey's face, serious and settled where he was. "'Cos I'm the only one."
    Casey wanted to go all 'aww', but he resisted the urge. Wouldn't do him any good to become even more compliant and easy-to-handle. But the longer he sat there and the longer he looked at the man knelt on the floor in front of him, the more he realized how it wasn't all that bad after all. That perhaps he hadn't fucked things up too badly, though he could only imagine how hard it was for Jared to even begin to open up about any of this. It wasn't as if they'd done any actual sharing about anything over the past few months. But maybe Casey could tone down a bit now that Jared was obviously at least trying to make an effort.
    "I don't have any more simple things," Casey said. He dropped his arms, hands now in his lap and they soon got covered with Jared's.
    "How about some complicated ones? I could try to figure them out, though I must warn you; I really suck at this stuff. Like, really suck."
    Casey smiled, still tired and hungry too, but his heart wasn't all that heavy anymore. "No complicated ones either. I just…"
    I just want to feel like I'm something. Like I make a difference. Like I'm cared for. Like I actually matter to you.
    "What?" Jared asked and stroked the back of Casey's hand with his fingers. Casey was past the point of reasoning; the hell with what he wanted. In front of him he had more than he'd thought he could ever have. So instead of placing out his demands and 'simple things', he shook his head and turned his hand, enwinding his fingers with Jared's. "Nothing. It's nothing."
    "You sure?"
    "Yes," Casey nodded. He saw tightness roll out of Jared's shoulders, tightness he hadn't even realized was there. But now that he watched the man in front of him switch his position, if only slightly, a small smile crept on his face and a warmth much larger crawl through his body. "But would you like to make up for last night?"
    ****
    Jared tucked his hands, again testing the tightness of the ropes around his wrists just to realize, yet again, that Casey had done a decent job in tying him down.
    This was a bad idea.
    "I was thinking something like a backrub when you asked if I wanted to make up for forgetting…"
    "You'll get to do that later," Casey said and crawled on the bed. His half-naked figure coming closer between Jared's spread legs was enough to tick Jared off– in a good way. He'd even surprised himself with not mounting Casey the second he'd come back after his long lasting departure. Jared had managed to keep himself from flipping the guy on the bed though he had definitely wanted to do just that. But he got it now, every single thing Casey had said, because he was too sex-orientated. Yes, he could admit to that. It wasn't a problem, though, not even for Casey. But maybe he could be a bit more sensitive from now on. Like… talk. Or even reply when Casey was talking. Or even being around a bit more, at times other than those spent in the bed. But right now, now that Casey sat astride on his lap, on his naked lap with nothing but boxer briefs covering Casey's body, Jared wasn't really interested in talking. Or listening. Or even being around outside of the bed, because the bed was a damn good place to be in right now.
    "And until then?"
    "You mean what do you get to do until you get to rub my back?" Casey asked, propping himself against Jared's hips, very fucking aware of what his twitching did to organs under his body, but seemingly ignorant as he balanced with the ice cream box in his hand and sank the spoon he held in the other into the white mush.
    "Yeah… that."
    "Well… that depends," Casey said and brought a spoonful into his mouth, sucking the frozen cream out of the spoon. Jared hated ice cream. But he just loved the way Casey ate it; indulging, savoring, damn near making out with the stuff, like it was the answer to all of life's greatest questions.
    "On what?"
    "On how well you behave." Casey smirked but kept his eyes on the box, refusing to look at Jared. But at least he'd propped Jared up quite comfortably; pillows tucked under his head, some even under his shoulders, his arms stretched but not too wide so that he didn't have to worry about dislocating any joints. Flat on his back on Casey's bed, naked, and as always, Casey looked quite at home on top of him. Only this time it was