Page 39 of The Road Home
Orson sat down, but looked up at Jared with a nervous look. "You shouldn't let me do this. I'm going to ruin the whole stool."
"You aren't going to ruin anything. I'll help you." He nodded to a pile of stencils. "Pick one."
Orson looked through them, finally pulling out a simple teddy bear. "Will this work?"
"It's perfect to start with." Jared nodded to the stool. "Now put it on where you want it and trace it with this." He handed him a black marker.
"Won't this show?"
"Nope, you'll carve it out. Don't worry. I use pencil on some that are more detailed, but since this is your first, we'll use the darker color, so you can see it better." Jared watched as Orson did what he told him.
He stepped behind him, letting him do the work himself.
"Okay, not so hard yet." Orson lifted the stencil from the stool. "Now what?"
"For this, I just use the Dremel with this tip. "He handed it to Orson, making sure it was plugged in. "Now, just gently start to work the wood. I don't go very deep. You don't need to on the stools."
Orson took a deep breath and made a small mark in the wood before stopping and looking up at Jared. "I'm going to fuck this up."
"No, you aren't. You just need to get the feel for it." Jared leaned forward, over Orson's shoulders, taking his hand in his with the Dremel. "I'll show you." His body pressed against Orson's back as he leaned in a bit more, his hand encasing Orson's and the tool as he slowly started to work the Dremel over the wood. He tried to concentrate on what he was doing, but his body was having a reaction to being pressed up against Orson. His cock stirred and started to thicken.
Jared took an unsteady breath, trying to will his body to behave as he worked the tool along the edge of the outline, showing Orson how to move it and keep a steady pace so everything was even. His body ignored his demands to stay calm, his cock growing harder, pressing against Orson's back. He needed to pull back or he'd notice for sure.
"You've got it." He released his hand over Orson's and went to step back, surprised when Orson reached up with his free hand and stopped him by gripping the front of Jared's shirt. The soft hum of the Dremel filled the air, but as Jared looked down at Orson, his breath caught as he found him staring up at him, his eyes filled with a nervous lust.
Jared stared back, no doubt that Orson felt his cock against his back. He took a deep breath, battling between desire and stepping away.
Orson took the choice from him as he tugged gently on Jared's t-shirt, pulling him down until Orson softly brushed his lips over Jared's.
The first touch was fleeting, but then Orson's hold on his shirt tightened and the kiss hardened, going from a curious brush to a full-fledged kiss in a matter of seconds.
Jared groaned as he kissed Orson back, all sanity leaving him as a haze of lust and need filled his mind. He'd kissed other men, but none of them had ever made him feel like kissing Orson was. His knees nearly buckled as Orson's tongue caressed over his, tempting him to open for him.
It took every bit of control Jared had to force himself to step back, breaking the kiss and putting distance between them. He stared down at Orson as he licked his lips. His pulse raced, and he gripped the counter beside him to steady himself as he tried to clear his head.
Orson turned in the chair, staring at him. "I'm not sorry."
Jared shook his head. "I don't want you to be, but we shouldn't."
"Why not?"
Because the last men who touched you hurt you, and I don't want to do the same.The thought was like a bucket of cold water over his arousal. "It's not right. I didn't bring you here for this."
"It was a kiss."
"That was more than a kiss." Jared wasn't going to lie and say it was less.
Orson nodded. "You don't want me?"
Jared ran his hand over his chin. "It's not that. You had to have felt how much I want you, but it's not right. I'm not the man for you. I'm not able to give you what you need. I don't do relationships. I don't do romance. I haven't since Daryl. You deserve more than I could give you. I won't use you. I won't treat you like I do the others I've met in the bars."
Orson nodded. "Okay."
"Okay?" Jared wasn't sure how to take that. He was glad Orson seemed to understand, but he'd expected him to argue with him about it.
"Yeah, it's okay. I get it. It's probably best. I'd probably freak out if it went much farther anyway." Orson hung his head.
"It's just not a good time for either of us right now." Jared forced himself to take another couple of steps back, reaching for a piece of sandpaper. He turned, resisting the urge to go to Orson and hold him again, feel his lips against his own.
He reminded himself that Orson had been raped just weeks before. Hell, he didn't know if Orson had ever been with anyone willingly. There was so much to consider. Would he even want sex? The thought of anything more than that sent Jared's nerves racing. He didn't do slow and easy. He did hard, ten-minute meet-ups in the back of a club. He didn't know how to do slow, and Orson needed slow.
The sound of the Dremel turning on had him glancing over his shoulder. He watched Orson for a moment, wondering what he was thinking now. He hoped that Orson didn't think he hated him. He really didn't. He didn't want to think about what his feelings for him were, especially after that kiss. It had taken his breath away, touching him in a part of his soul that he had never felt before.
Leaving Orson to do his own thing, he stepped to the hutch and started to work. The sooner they forgot the kiss ever happened, the easier things were going to be.
