Pairing: Ezra / Nathan
Author's Note: Consider this an established relationship with a first-time pairing. In other words, I just wanted to see a sexy-romantic scene between these two!
"Tell me why we're here again?" Ezra requested, setting his bag down inside the generic two-bed hotel room that he and Nathan Jackson had just acquired. "Because, for the life of me, I cannot remember why I agreed to this.""You need to relax," Nathan told him firmly, "And so do I. Grand County is a nice place, with lots of opportunity for R&R. Fishing, Hiking, Swimming, Golf, Rafting, you name it. Just what we need!"
Ezra sighed and flopped back on one of the beds. "Getting dirty and sunburned and nibbled by insects; what a lovely way to spend one's first work- free week in months. Are you certain you haven't mistaken me for Mr. Tanner?"
Grinning at his sulky tone, Nathan refused to take the bait. "Pretty sure, though Vin did suggest the location when I told him I thought you needed to get away from it all."
A soft snort met this news. "While I appreciate your attempt to look after my well-being, I assure you, I have been attending to my own recreational needs for quite a number of years."
"If it was up to you, you'd hole up in some swanky casino with a bunch of strangers for five or six days without ever seeing a single ray of sunshine, drinkin' too much and eating barely enough to keep a goldfish alive. You'd come back a little richer, maybe, but a whole lot less healthy and no more relaxed than when you started. You call that recreation?"
"I find the acquisition of wealth very relaxing," he argued. "And to a man with my delicate complexion, sunshine is highly overrated."
Nathan leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. He smirked. "You didn't have to come here. You could've gone to Disneyworld with Vin, Buck and JD."
Ezra waved one hand in a dismissive gesture. "The sunshine factor again. Besides, I've already been . . . and it's far too crowded this time of year."
"Okay, then you could have tagged along with Chris and Josiah on their hunting trip."
"And have Mr. Larabee gleefully rousting me out of bed every morning before the birds are even awake, just so we can go sit for hours in a dark damp forest, not speaking?" He snorted. "No, thank you. I still can't believe that a self-claimed spiritual man like Josiah actually enjoys stumbling through the woods, chasing after some poor dumb animal with the intention of ending its life just so he can maintain a well stocked freezer."
"I didn't hear you complaining when he served those venison steaks at the last team barbecue."
Ezra ignored him. "It's barbaric." Helping himself to a pillow, he sighed. "At least this place has real beds."
"So do a lot of other places," Nathan pressed, enjoying his victory as he listened to Ezra's protests grow increasingly feeble.
Ezra grinned, giving in to the coaxing tone at last. "True, but this bed has a distinct advantage over those others. You wouldn't be in any of them."
"Why do you think I wanted this get-away? We said we'd take things slow but I hoped we might both be ready for more."
"And so you suggested this neutral location," Ezra finished. "I'm glad, Nathan. Not that kissing or copping an occasional feel when the others weren't looking hasn't been fun, but it has made me increasingly eager to discover how good the real thing could be."
Nathan came to sit next to him, bouncing a bit as he pulled his feet up to sit bent-legged on the cheap bedspread. Stroking tender fingertips over the faint lines in Ezra's forehead, he leaned down and kissed him. "I just want to be sure you'll enjoy this, Ezra. You've been lookin' awful tense lately. I figured you could use a chance to kick back and relax, whether anything else came of this trip or not."
"I know, and I truly am sorry for any part my behavior may have played in putting additional stress on you," Ezra replied, lifting to press his mouth firmly against Nathan's deliciously full lips. "Our friendship was so tenuous for such a long time, and this new, more personal relationship is only a few weeks old yet. I felt no wish to risk what we'd started by moving too fast, but I'm afraid I may have overdone the caution, causing nothing more than mutual frustration."
"I figured as much, and honestly, I been kind of afraid to push things, too. I know you're not comfortable being hovered over. "Stretching out next to him, Nathan ran a hand lightly up Ezra's shirted torso, grasping his neck and massaging his jaw with a thumb as he moved in for a deeper kiss. Ezra sighed into his mouth, tongue rising to lick and dance against his own. "That's why I've never suggested spending the night at your place. Figured you valued your privacy too much."
Ezra pulled back to look at him, concern in his eyes. "Have I hurt you with that need for distance? I never meant to, Nathan. It's just . . ."
"I know," Nathan soothed, kissing him again. "You're scared. Me, too."
"It's been a long time since I've dared to hope for a lasting relationship," he admitted. "Do you know that I was sure Buck and JD were playing a joke on me when I first began finding love-notes tucked in amongst my papers and possessions? I thought there was no way they could truly be from you."
Nathan winked. "Buck ain't that good a forger, and I figured a little subtlety would go farther than the caveman approach." Ezra's smile widened and he bobbed up for another kiss. "Didn't want you think I was only after your body."
"Ah, but who could blame you if you were?" he teased, making Nathan laugh. "So, does this mean you'll get up and leave if I admit to ogling your posterior in the office?"
He grinned. "Nope." Kissing Ezra's throat, Nathan promised, "I'm gonna make this so good, you'll never want it to end."
A needy sound escaped Ezra as hands dragged at his still-buttoned shirt, teasing him through the cloth. "Damn clothes," he murmured, struggling with the tight cuff button that refused to yield to his shaking fingers. "Sometimes I truly hate them."
Nathan laughed, helpfully pushing the stubborn object free of the button-hole. "Who are you kidding? You love clothes, the fancier the better. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you wear a tuxedo to bed!"
To his surprise, Ezra blushed. He hesitated a moment, then asked, "May I tell you a secret, Nathan?"
Nathan nodded, curious.
"Well," Ezra said, pulling himself partially upright and tugging on his collar. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't let this get around the office, but the fact is, I've enjoyed the freedom of naturalism for most of my adult life."
"Natural . . . you mean you sleep naked?" He shrugged. "No big deal, lots of people do. Prefer it myself when the weather's too hot."
Shaking his head, Ezra said, "Not just sleeping."
It took him a second to put it together. "Are you trying to tell me that you're a nudist?" He laughed as he said it, assuming that Ezra was joking.
Ezra shrugged, fingertips playing with a shirt button as he avoided meeting Nathan's gaze. "It's not really so uncommon. I don't indulge in that particular comfort in public or, obviously, in the company of friends, but in the privacy of my own home or behind the locked door of a hotel room, yes."
"Comfort," Nathan repeated, suddenly realizing that Ezra was entirely serious. "You're really telling me that you enjoy walkin' around your house completely naked?"
"Walking, dining, watching television, reading books, cooking my meals – though I will admit to using an apron for that particular chore, exercising, sleeping. I do, indeed. I find it quite emotionally soothing to engage in nudity."
Nathan considered this. "No offense, Ezra, but why?"
A thoughtful expression crossed Ezra's face. "I'm no psychologist but I have often speculated that the stringent propriety I grew up with, the need to maintain correct appearances at all times, and the layers of pretense in which I now cloak myself professionally, have combined to create a need for such freedom in my private life."
Thinking back on this man's almost maniacal devotion to detail, his gift for disguising his identity and emotions from others, Nathan nodded. It actually made a lot of sense that Ezra would find release in literally stripping away those layers and allowing himself to just be, as nature had made him. Eyes widening in sudden realization, he blurted, "That's why it always takes you so long to answer the door if one of us shows up without calling first!"
Ezra laughed. "Well, I wouldn't want to shock anyone."
Engaging himself in unfastening the long row of shirt buttons and exposing Ezra's torso as he pondered this revelation, he mused, "So, if you prefer being naked when living your normal life, what do you do about sex? I mean, are we gonna need to leave some clothes on for you to get excited?"
What could only be described as a giggle of relief escaped Ezra at the question. "Come on, big boy, put your coat on for me," he purred, waggling his eyebrows in a ridiculously lascivious manner that made Nathan laugh as well.
"Guess not, huh?"
"Good lord, no. I must admit that a sensual strip-tease can be quite a turn on, as can a bit of debauchery so sudden and passionate that it leaves one still half-dressed at the moment of completion, but for the most part, I would imagine that sharing a sexual relationship with a nudist would be quite a time-saver."
"You imagine?" Nathan asked, glancing up from the enjoyable distraction of dropping suckling little kisses over the surface of Ezra's chest and stomach. "Don't you know?"
Long fingered hands urged Nathan to resume his ministrations, guiding him toward a tight nipple. Obediently teasing the taut little bead with his tongue, Nathan lowered his hands to knead Ezra's hips and buttocks through the light cotton of his trousers.
"I've never had a lover who shared my particular preference," Ezra admitted, lightly stroking Nathan's neck and shoulders and arching against his pleasurably talented mouth. "And if said lover and I were spending a casual day together, I always dressed for the occasion."
Nathan stroked the cotton shirt free of Ezra's shoulders, pausing to pull his own T-shirt off overhead. Feeling Ezra's arousal pushing against his stomach as he stretched them out on the mattress again, he shifted up the necessary few inches to allow their still-clothed erections to tease one another. Ezra made a strange mewling sound deep in his throat as Nathan began gently grinding against his hips.
"You never told anybody?" Nathan asked, lowering his head to nibble Ezra's ear.
"Only once," he sighed. "There was some talk of living together and the secret was obviously going to come out if we did, so I told him. Unfortunately, he thought it was . . . weird. It made him uncomfortable, and in fact, he assumed that my liking for nudity meant that I had to be entertaining other men on the side. He actually called me a whore, can you believe that? A man who only five minutes before had been claiming to love me."
Angry on Ezra's behalf, Nathan demanded, "What'd you do?"
"I dumped him. He was unwilling to even try to accept something that I consider a natural part of me, and I was unwilling to put up with further insults and jealousy over an innocent relaxation technique; one that I had no intention of giving up."
Feeling a slight tremor in the tight stomach muscles beneath his palm, Nathan realized that Ezra was nervous, waiting to hear if he, too, was going to demand social conformity as a condition to their relationship. He smiled, meeting the darting green eyes squarely. "Good for you. You shouldn't have to change something that lets you be happy with who you are."
He felt Ezra relax, and let go a relieved breath himself. He was greatly touched by the implied trust in the other man's admission. Ezra didn't want either of them walking into this relationship blind, and that gave Nathan a secure feeling deep in his heart. They hadn't always felt able to be so honest with one another.
Capturing Ezra's mouth, Nathan kissed him hard, lifting his hips to fumble their pants open and down. "I think the idea of you sitting around all casual and naked is god-damn sexy," he whispered, barely lifting his lips far enough away from Ezra's to say the words before pressing close again, this time wrapping his arms tight around the southerner's torso and pressing their bared cocks together.
A soft whimper escaped Ezra and he clutched Nathan tightly as the man's greater weight pinned him in place, allowing him to do nothing but feel as the hard length bumped and scraped against his most sensitive flesh. His head fell back, mouth open and breathing in shallow gasps as Nathan ground against him with deliberate slowness, drawing out their pleasure.
"I'd want to touch and kiss and taste every last inch of this body, day and night, if I had it there in all its beautiful glory, right in front of my eyes."
"Would you?" Ezra whispered, inviting more as Nathan eased his weight and allowed him to spread his legs wider.
Nathan stopped his slow grind, bringing forth a sound of protest that quickly transformed into a moan of pleasure when he changed the motion into a long pushing stroke that allowed his dangling ball sac to bump up against Ezra's. He made the movement as suggestive of penetration as he could without actually breaching his partner's defenses, not yet certain whether Ezra was into that particular aspect of male coupling.
After another deep slow kiss, Nathan told him, "I can picture it easy. You'd be sitting on that big soft couch in your living room, winding down with a little TV. You'd settle back with one arm up behind your head that way you do, and the other hand resting the remote control on your thigh." He kissed the smiling mouth tenderly. "You wouldn't be thinking about sex at all, and that'd just make it even better. There'd be a drink sitting next to you, rum and coke on the rocks."
"I don't like rum," Ezra mumbled, grunting softly as the first flickers of orgasm raced through his body.
"Hush up, this is my story," Nathan ordered with another peck on the lips.
He chuckled. "Sorry, please go on."
"So, there you'd be, all beautiful and naked, just relaxin' back with your thighs spread wide and this sweet body just begging to be touched. I'd come on over, kneel between your legs and help myself to one of those little ice cubes from your drink. Then, I'd touch you like this," he paused to lick Ezra's nipples, first one and then the other, "and you'd shiver, but I'd know it wasn't just from the cold."
Ezra hummed in contentment as Nathan licked him again, hips rocking as much as they could against the friction of Nathan's body.
"My fingers would work their way up your thighs, stroking and teasing until you grew hard in my hands. Then I'd swallow you down, work you and worship you until you never wanted to stop comin' for me."
A deep sigh escaped Ezra as his lover's suggestion found physical expression. He shivered and quaked with the intensity of his passion, the reaction bringing Nathan to completion along with him.
As the wonderful feeling of mutual satiation began to fade, Ezra encircled Nathan's neck with his arms and kissed him with willful abandon. "I believe I've thought of an activity we should try during our stay."
Nathan grinned. "And what might that be?"
"How do you feel about riding lessons?" he said, reaching down to give one dark round buttock a firm squeeze.
Nathan pinched his cheeks hard around the probing fingertips. "Bareback?"
A laugh, filled with suggestion and promise, chortled from Ezra's throat. "The very best kind."
Kissing him deeply, Nathan asked, "Sounds like fun. You figure on doing all the riding, or will I get a turn, too?"
"Hell, yes, you will," he replied roughly. "You've no idea how many times I've imagined how good that would feel. I honestly don't know which way I desire to have you the most."
Nathan pulled him close again, reveling in the feel of Ezra's sleek, well-muscled body moving sinuously against him as they kissed. "All those sports and activities in the brochure are lookin' kinda dull all of a sudden," he said ruefully.
"Oh, we can still try a few activities, if you like," Ezra conceded, wrapping a leg around Nathan's body to pull him even closer.
"Like what?"
His eyes danced with merriment. "Well, let me think. You like fencing, don't you? How does that go again? Thrust and parry?" he asked, demonstrating the move with his hips and drawing a groan of enjoyment from his partner.
"Maybe we should try golf," Nathan joked, pushing his quickly stiffening penis between Ezra's thighs to brush against his cheeks. "See if either of us can score a hole in one."
Ezra's low throaty laughter sent shivers of pleasure up and down Nathan's spine. "Another fine idea." Gently stroking a hand over his face, he looked deeply into Nathan's gentle brown eyes. "Just, whatever we do here, promise me that after we return home, you'll make that tantalizing picture you painted a few minutes ago come to life."
Nathan embraced him with great tenderness, voice soft and warm as he said, "Don't worry, Ezra. When it comes to this canvas," one strong hand stroked down the length of Ezra's pale body, "I don't think I'll ever run out of inspiration. You plan to keep this on display; you'd better count on me becoming a regular Picasso."
"I do so love a dedicated artiste," Ezra murmured, losing himself once more in the sweetness of his lover's kiss.
THE END