I showered and washed the blood out of my clothes when I got home. The dark shadows in the corners of my eyes from JJ's accidental punch would spread by the morning, and I'd probably have to wear sunglasses for a few days. My nose hurt like hell, but at least it wasn't broken.

I ate some more of the party leftovers, then sprawled on the couch until I heard JJ's motorbike approaching. I sat up as he stomped in the door with a scowl on his face.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, fucking assholes at the club, that's all. None of the Camerons were there. It was just Topper and Kelce and a bunch of others." He looked at me properly and his eyes widened. "What the fuck happened to you?" In a second, he was sitting beside me, touching my face.

"Ow, don't." I caught his hand and pulled it away from my face when the tip of his finger caught my nose. "Rafe Cameron happened."

"Shit. Were they all there?"

"No, just him. I finished the lawns; then he came out to tell me I was fired, and they weren't going to pay me. He hit me a couple of times but then Sarah showed up and told him to leave me alone."

"She did?"

I nodded.

"So, you're fired?"

"Not yet. She said it's her dad's decision. He hasn't fired me yet, though, has he?"

"Seems like your day was worse than mine for once. I'm gonna get changed and run to the store."

"What for?" I asked, but his bedroom door closed behind him as he seemed not to hear me.

JJ emerged a few minutes later, in his customary cargo shorts and a t-shirt, with his baseball cap on backwards. He'd switched the smart black shoes he was required to wear for his job, for his military-style boots.

"Where are you going?" I asked, as he grabbed his rucksack.

"To get groceries."

"You don't have to do that, JJ," I protested.

He plucked something from his pocket and waved a handful of bills at me. "I got paid, and I got tips. You're always saying I eat everything in your house, which is probably true, because there's never any food at Luke's. He always took most of my money and wasted it. Anyway—" He tapped two fingers on the side of his head in a brisk salute and walked out the door. A moment later his motorcycle started up again.

Thirty minutes later, JJ was back. He dumped his over-stuffed backpack on the kitchen floor and began pulling things out of it—mostly food items rather than beer and the sort of crap he usually produced if he ever had any money. There was milk, coffee, fresh bread, various types of sandwich fillings, a few frozen dinners, fruit and vegetables, a couple of large bottles of soda, and some toiletries and cleaning products, much to my surprise.

"JJ, you didn't have to spend all your money—" I began.

"Didn't. Only some of it. I live here now, right? I'm not gonna live off you, though."

I grinned. "Well, thanks, I appreciate it."

"No problem." He finished putting the items away, then snatched up an apple and bit into it.

"I've never seen you eat fruit," I said, even more surprised.

"You never had any. It wasn't because I don't like it."

"Okay." I had to admit, I ate a lot of crap since my dad disappeared. He used to buy the groceries and made sure I ate a healthy, balanced diet. Now, I lived on sandwiches, potato chips, beer, and a hell of a lot of fish. I picked up one of the large red apples JJ had bought and took a bite. Its crisp sweetness exploded on my tongue, and I hummed with pleasure.

JJ smirked. "That's the exact sound you made when I jerked you off."

"Oh, fuck you." My face burned.

JJ laughed some more, then took another bite of his apple. I watched him as I ate mine and in return, he watched me. The room seemed to heat up around us and I thought about kissing him; holding him against me; touching him. My pulse quickened and my dick began to fill. By the time I tossed the apple core, I was rock hard and sweat dampened the back of my t-shirt. JJ's left hand was in his pocket, but it didn't do much to disguise the fact that he was hard too.

I crossed the small kitchen to where he leaned against the counter and rested my hands on it either side of him. He grinned and his eyes lit up. I leaned in closer to kiss him, and his eyes slid shut. Careful not to bump my nose, I caressed his lips with mine and slipped my tongue into his mouth. My arousal ramped up another notch and I pressed my body against his, making us both groan as our clothed erections bumped together. He wrapped his arms around me and rolled his hips, rubbing himself against me. I moaned into his mouth, and wondered if it was the same sound I made when I was eating the apple. I pulled back to catch my breath. JJ opened his eyes again, and the blue irises were almost obscured by the dilated pupils. I longed to touch him, but I was still unsure. He hadn't wanted me to before. Ask.

"Can I touch you?" I whispered.

He broke the eye contact and looked down, and I imagined he was going to say no. But he slipped his hand between us and unfastened his fly. I looked down too and caught a glimpse of his erection straining against white cotton underwear. Then he pushed the waistband down and freed himself.

I'd seen JJ naked before plenty of times when we got changed together, but I'd never seen him hard. He was around the same size as me in both length and thickness, but his dick had a slight curve to it, and the head was darker. Cautiously, I rubbed my thumb over it. He groaned and held onto me tighter. My thumb grew wet, and I added a forefinger, then stroked both down his shaft. He whimpered and dropped his head forward against my shoulder. I wrapped my hand firmly around him and gave him a couple of slow pumps, then paused.

"Is this okay?"

"Mm." He was trembling, and I wasn't sure if it was excitement, or nervousness.

"I can stop if you—"

"Make me come," he said under his breath.

I breathed out shakily and resumed stroking him. His dick jerked in my hand, responding to my touch. My own, still trapped in my clothes, throbbed impatiently but I ignored it and concentrated on him. I'd imagined touching him like this so many times. The times I'd seen him naked I'd had to turn away in case I got hard, but when I was alone in bed later, I'd imagine him getting changed in front of me, and me watching his every move without worrying about it. Then I'd reach for him and hold him against me while I stroked him off—just like this.

"Fuck," JJ panted. "Sorry, I'm gonna—" He came hard, spilling into my hand and spurting a little onto my t-shirt. I kept stroking him, slower and more gently, until he was done. "Fuck," he said again and laughed breathlessly. "You can do that again any time you want."

I grinned. "With pleasure."

He tucked himself away, then placed his hand over the erection tenting my shorts. "You want me to do something about this?"

"Hell, yes."

"You wanna sit down first?"

"Uh, yeah." I led the way into the other room and sat on the couch. I imagined JJ would stroke me off the way he had before, but instead, he knelt on the floor between my feet. "What are you doing?"

"Just wanna try something." He unbuttoned my fly. "Lift up."

I raised my hips, and he tugged my shorts and underwear down, then off altogether. My erection bumped against my stomach. Feeling weird with just my t-shirt on, I peeled it off and tossed it onto the floor.

JJ smiled. "Nice view."

"Shut up."

He grinned wider, then curled a fist around my erection. I shifted my legs apart to give him more room, and he leaned in between them. His free hand came up to cup my balls and stroke them. Then he lowered his head and took my tip into his mouth.

"Holy fucking shit," I whispered.

He pulled off. "I can stop if you—" Grinning, he recited my own words.

"Please don't."

"I was hoping you'd say that." He sucked the head of my aching erection into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it.

I squirmed and clenched my fists. "Fucking hell, JJ."

He chuckled and his mouth vibrated around me. I closed my eyes and rolled my head back. My balls pulled up in his hand and I doubted I would last any longer than he had. I curled my toes into the rug, my thighs trembling.

Slowly, he began to slide his hand up and down, following it with his mouth. The wet heat of his lips and tongue felt incredible, and my orgasm approached rapidly. I doubted I would last even a minute. I'd imagined this a few times—looking down and seeing his blond head bobbing as he sucked me—but I'd had no idea how good it would feel. I moaned helplessly, struggling not to buck my hips. He lowered his head more, taking over half of my length in, then gagged a little and pulled back. His hand tightened and he continued stroking me and sucking my tip.

"JJ," I gasped. "Stop. I'm gonna come."

He released me from his mouth and jerked me harder for the last few seconds before I exploded and shot my load onto my chest. I slumped against the cushions, gasping for breath. When I forced my eyelids to lift, JJ was licking my fluid off his thumb. He flushed and smirked. "Next time," he said, which I took to mean, 'Next time you can come in my mouth.'

"Fuck," I muttered, and reached for my discarded t-shirt to wipe the mess off my chest and stomach. I put my underwear on and pulled my legs up onto the couch so I could sprawl out more comfortably. The cushions were wide and there was plenty of room for two. "Come here," I said, and patted the cushion in front of me.

JJ got up, then lay down facing me. We shuffled around, arranging arms and legs until we were both comfortable. My arm was under his neck and the other around his waist, one of his around me and the other folded between us, his hand on my chest. It felt so good, just cuddling like that. His eyes were closed, long lashes resting on his tanned cheeks. Everything I felt for him welled up inside me and a lump formed in my throat. He'd been through so much shit over the years, and all through that I'd longed to be more than just his friend. Now I was, and it was amazing.

I slid my hand under the back of his t-shirt and stroked warm skin. He was still bruised from the last time his dad hit him, so I was careful to only touch him lightly. He sighed with pleasure and snuggled closer to me, tucking his face into my neck. I kissed his temple and nuzzled his hair. I loved him. I'd always loved him anyway, but I was in love with him—something which I knew had been growing for a while. I couldn't pinpoint when it started, but I'd always thought I was destined for a long-term aching heart, loving him from a distance.

I realised he'd whispered something, but I'd been too lost in my own thoughts and missed the words. "What did you say?"

"I said I love you," he said clearly.

My heart lurched and I squeezed my eyes shut. "I love you, too."