The Man I Craved

Jake's PovThe chlorine smell hit me before I even opened the back gate. My stomach twisted, not because of my nerves but this particular moment. I'd been thinking about this moment for three years. Three years of Devon's dad existing as this forbidden fantasy I'd shoved into the back corner of my mind, only pulling it out late at night when I was alone.Marcus Chen. God, even his name made my skin prickle."Yo, birthday boy!" Devon's voice cut through my thoughts as I stepped onto the stone patio. He was already in the pool with his girlfriend Emma draped over his shoulders like a wet towel. "Finally! Thought you were gonna bail.""Traffic was hell," I lied, adjusting the strap of my duffel bag. Truth was, I'd sat in my car for fifteen minutes in their driveway, trying to talk myself down. This is just a vacation. You're eighteen now. You're mature. You can handle this.But then I saw him.Marcus was climbing out of the deep end, water cascading down his body in rivulets that cau

The First Night

Jake's PovI couldn't stop shaking.My hands trembled as I gripped the edge of the bathroom sink, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My pupils were blown wide, my lips still tingling from the margaritas, my skin flushed and hot but it wasn't the alcohol making me feel like this.It was him.Be careful, Jake. This week is going to test both of us.Both of us.That meant Marcus could feel the tension too. I wasn't imagining things. I wasn't some stupid kid with a crush.This was mutual.I splashed cold water on my face, trying to snap myself out of it. Devon was my best friend. Marcus was his father. There were lines you didn't cross, boundaries that existed for good reasons. I needed to get my head straight before dinner.But when I closed my eyes, all I could see was the way Marcus had looked at me in the pool. The way his eyes had dropped to my mouth. The way he'd leaned in close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off his body.A knock on the door made me jump."Jake

Breaking Point

Jake's Pov I woke up hard and aching, tangled in sheets that felt like sandpaper against my oversensitized skin. The morning light cut through the blinds in sharp lines, and I could hear movement downstairs.My phone said 6:47 AM. Too early for Devon to be awake, which meant it was probably Marcus down there, making breakfast in God knows what and looking like temptation itself.I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to will away my erection, but my brain wasn't cooperating. All I could think about was last night – the way he'd caged me against the counter, the rough edge in his voice when he'd said fuck you, the barely controlled restraint in every word, every look, every almost-touch.My hand drifted down under the sheets before I could stop myself. I was so hard it hurt, my cock pressing insistently against my boxers. I palmed myself through the fabric and bit back a groan.This was insane. I was in Marcus's house, in his guest room, thinking about him while I touched myself but I cou

A Long Week

Jake's Pov "This week is going to be hell.""It doesn't have to be." I picked up my coffee, my hands steadier than I felt. "Devon and Emma are planning to go into town this afternoon. Shopping or something. They invited me but I was thinking of staying back. Someone should probably stay with the house, right?"I watched understanding dawn on Marcus's face, followed by conflict, followed by something that looked a lot like surrender."Jake –""Just think about it." I headed toward the stairs before I could do something stupid like close the distance between us and kiss him right here where Devon could walk back in any second. "I'm going to take a shower. A cold one."I felt his eyes on me as I walked away, felt the weight of his stare like a physical touch. When I glanced back from the top of the stairs, he was still standing in the kitchen, both hands gripping the counter, his head bowed.He looked like a man at war with himself.I just had to make sure the right side won.The shower

Aftermath

Jake’s POVI barely slept.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the pool, Marcus’s face, the look in his eyes right before Devon and Emma came back.The memory sat calmly in my chest, making it impossible to settle.Around three in the morning, I’d given up pretending sleep was coming and spent the next hours staring at the ceiling.By six, I was officially miserable and somehow happy which made absolutely no sense or did it?I rolled out of bed and dragged a hand through my hair.For a moment, I considered staying in my room in order to hide and avoid Marcus and to avoid whatever awkwardness came after crossing the line neither of us could uncross.Then I laughed under my breath. “Yeah. Right.”As if I could stay away from him. I pulled on a t-shirt and headed downstairs.The smell of coffee greeted me immediately.Marcus.Well there’s a saying that you'd know how great a day would go from the first person you see.. When I stepped into the kitchen, I stopped.The coffee pot was full, a

A Moment Alone

Jake’s POVThe house had never felt so loud and it was not because anyone was shouting. In fact, it was the opposite. The silence had become unbearable. Marcus ensured he avoided me. If I walked into the kitchen, he suddenly remembered something outside. If I joined everyone by the pool, he’d volunteer to clean the grill or answer emails from work. If someone else had been watching, they would’ve thought nothing of it but I noticed. I noticed everything. That was the problem with wanting someone. You learned everything about them, even down to the way they cleared their throat before speaking and Marcus Chen was worried. By the third morning, I’d had enough.“You’ve been weird,” Devon said around a mouthful of cereal.I looked up.“What?”“You.” He pointed his spoon at me. “You’ve barely beaten me at anything all week.”“I beat you yesterday.”“You beat me once.”“I’ll beat you again.”“There he is.” Devon grinned. “I was wondering where my competitive best friend disappeared to.”Em