“His problems went deeper than that,” Jase said. “And you did the best you could. I think he knew that. I think that's why he killed himself. He could have done a lot more harm.”
Luis sat back in his seat and closed his eyes. He was glad he hadn't actually seen Matthias shoot himself. An image like that would last a lifetime. “If you guys aren't doing anything this Thanksgiving, we'd like you to join us for dinner. We're having a huge crowd this year and you're all welcome to come. The more, the merrier.” This wasn't the first time Luis had met people under unusual circumstances, and he knew it wouldn't be the last. With all he had to be thankful for this year, three more people at the table would only make Thanksgiving more worthwhile.
Luis could see that Jase agreed with him. He wondered what Jase was thinking about now that his memory had returned. Jase was looking at the road and driving with both hands, but he was smiling for no apparent reason.
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Chapter Fifteen
When the helicopter landed at the airport in Philadelphia, Jase rented a large Town Car and drove everyone into center city. Jase offered to get them all rooms at one of the best hotels in the city. Jase and Luis had decided to spend the night in Philadelphia at a hotel because it was so late. They didn't want to frighten Hunter and everyone else by pulling up to Cider Mill Farm in the middle of the night, earlier than they'd planned. After all, they weren't supposed to be home until Wednesday.
They'd agreed to keep what had happened at the Glatenfrissle compound to themselves. When Jase called home from the airport, they explained to Isabelle they hadn't been able to call until now because they'd had trouble getting phone reception. She sounded relieved, and said she'd been trying to call them for days and was starting to worry. Cory and Gage were ready to go out looking for them. It had been pouring rain at Cider Mill Farm, too. Jase told Isabelle they'd had a nice time and they'd be home sometime the next morning, a day earlier than they'd planned because of the rain.
Beth Anne and Blaze declined Jase's offer to spend the night in a hotel. They shared a small apartment near the University of Pennsylvania and Beth Anne said all she wanted to do was go home and sleep in her own bed with the covers pulled up over her head. Hood said basically the same thing. Hood had shared a small apartment in Rittenhouse Square with Matthias, and he said he wanted to go home and sleep for the next twenty-four hours. Luis asked Hood if he was okay to go home and face the fact that Matthias was gone and he was now living alone, especially after the way Matthias had died. Jase offered Hood a hotel room one more time. But Hood thanked them both and said he'd rather be in his own apartment, sleeping in his own bed.
When Luis and Jase dropped them all off, they gave them directions to Cider Mill Farm and invited them to Thanksgiving dinner one more time. Beth Anne and Blaze said they had family obligations, but they'd think about driving up to Bucks County for dessert later in the evening. Hood said he was spending Thanksgiving with his family in northern New Jersey and said he'd think about stopping by on his way back to Philadelphia Thanksgiving night.
When Jase and Luis were finally in their clean, comfortable suite at the Palomar, they took a long, hot bubble bath together in the sunken tub. The bathroom was lit only by a few candles Luis had packed in his suitcase for the cabin and a dim light from out in the main room. Luis rested back against Jase's chest and Jase held him gently. They didn't speak much. They were both too tired to do anything but enjoy the peace and quiet. They remained this way until Luis finally yawned and said, “Let's go to bed.”
The love they made that night had nothing to do with kinky outfits, high-heeled boots, or explicit dirty talk. Luis considered this their own generic brand of lovemaking, and he cherished each moment with Jase whenever they made love this way. It was how they made love when they were busy working and there wasn't much time to think too much about doing it. It was how they made love when neither one of them was particularly interested in experimenting in bed. And it was how they made love when they both knew nothing else in the world could top what they already had together.
When they came out of the bathroom, Luis spread a clean towel down on the expensive white bedspread so he wouldn't harm it. Jase went over to the desk near a tall window and glanced at his e-mails. Luis spread the large bath towel out evenly, so it would be set perfectly in the middle of the bed. When he was finished, he climbed up on the bed naked, turned around, and rested his back against the soft white towel.
Without saying a word, Jase put down his phone and walked to the bed. His sandy blond hair was still wet and messy and he was almost fully erect by then. Luis sent him a smile and reached out with both arms. Jase returned the smile and climbed up on the bed. There were no candles burning now; Luis was too tired to move them from the bathroom to the bedroom. But the dim light next to the bed was still lit and the city lights glistened through the uncovered window. It was almost as good as candlelight.
When Jase climbed up on the bed, Luis spread his legs and Jase crawled between them. Then Luis lifted his legs slightly higher and bent them at the knee. Jase rested one hand on the bed and guided his dick into Luis's body with the other. There was no need for lubricant; Luis knew how to take Jase without it. He preferred it this way, without apology, in spite of the fact that most people would never understand this. All Jase had to do was insert the head and slide into Luis very slowly. Then he'd remain like this, as deep inside as he could go, until Luis had completely adjusted to him.
While they waited, with Jase deep inside him, Luis lifted his arms and rested both hands on Jase's strong shoulders. He caressed the back of Jase's damp head. He pulled Jase's lips to his and they kissed for a few minutes. When they stopped kissing, Luis nodded and said, “I'm ready.” Then Jase braced both hands on the mattress and started moving in and out of Luis's body very slowly.
Neither of them spoke a word. Luis's hands remained on Jase's shoulders, caressing and squeezing Jase's muscles. Luis enjoyed this position more than any other because he could watch Jase's expression and see Jase's body in action. As Jase moved faster, sliding in and out of Luis with an even beat, Luis closed his eyes and held Jase's shoulders tighter. Luis never knew how long they would remain like this. It all depended on Jase and what Jase was feeling. For Luis it was always simple: the minute Jase entered him his climax began to build. For Luis, it could have taken two minutes or two hours. He'd always been perfectly content to wait for Jase no matter how long it took.